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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · rest · pop · deal · wind · bore · lash · prune

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. cap — a hat
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bore — to drill
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. cap — a lid
  9. wind — moving air
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pop — music
  17. cap — of ice
  18. pop — to visit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pop — soda
  21. rest — a break
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. rest — what's left

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