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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 116 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pop — soda
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pop — music
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rest — a break
  18. wake — a trail
  19. degree — an amount
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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