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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. march — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. prune — to trim
  10. march — the month
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a list
  14. pop — music
  15. wake — a trail
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. roll — a cake
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mate — to breed
  21. march — the month
  22. pop — to visit
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. wake — before a funeral

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