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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. prune — to trim
  3. march — the month
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. season — of the year
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. season — in sport
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. spring — a coil
  13. can — a tin
  14. staff — employees
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. can — to be able to
  19. spring — the season
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. staff — employees
  22. prune — to trim
  23. staff — a stick
  24. can — a tin

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