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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. row — to paddle
  3. spring — a coil
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. spring — of water
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. spring — the season
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. row — a line
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. key — in music
  15. key — for a lock
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pit — in a race
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pit — a hole
  23. key — the most important part
  24. lash — an eyelash

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