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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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Word bank
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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: prune · pop · ruler · season · lash · cap · spell · game

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. spell — a short time
  3. cap — a hat
  4. game — wild animals
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. spell — magic
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. pop — to visit
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pop — music
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. cap — of ice
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. game — a match
  18. pop — soda
  19. season — in sport
  20. cap — a lid
  21. spell — letters
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. prune — to trim
  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