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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. cap — a lid
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. dip — to sink
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rash — a series
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. cap — of ice
  9. spring — of water
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. field — for sport
  12. cap — a hat
  13. field — farmland
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. field — a subject
  18. pass — a permit
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. rash — hasty
  23. row — a line
  24. spring — the season

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