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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. content — the amount
  7. spring — the season
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cap — a hat
  11. pop — to visit
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cap — of ice
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pop — music
  21. content — happy
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. pop — soda
  24. prune — to trim

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