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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ground — a position
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. ground — the earth
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bat — the animal
  11. tube — a container
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pop — soda
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. tube — the underground
  24. pop — music

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