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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. ground — a position
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. rash — hasty
  10. ground — the earth
  11. pass — a permit
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. spring — the season
  14. stem — to come from
  15. ground — crushed
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. rash — a series
  20. spring — of water
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cap — a hat

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