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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. degree — from a university
  3. prune — to trim
  4. spring — of water
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pop — to visit
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rash — hasty
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mug — a cup
  15. rash — a series
  16. pop — music
  17. degree — temperature
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. degree — an amount
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. mug — a face
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. spring — the season
  24. mug — to rob

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