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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cap — a hat
  3. spring — of water
  4. kick — in football
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. can — a tin
  8. spring — the season
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rash — a series
  13. fine — all right
  14. cap — a lid
  15. spring — a coil
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bass — low music
  18. can — a tin
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — hasty

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