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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rest — a break
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. cap — a lid
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bark — to shout
  15. rest — what's left
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bulb — for light
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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