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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cap — a hat
  8. land — ground
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. cap — of ice
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bark — to shout
  14. land — to come down
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. land — a country
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. cap — a lid
  24. pass — a permit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com