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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: mug · row · rash · pitcher · mark · cabinet · pop · spring

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mark — a trace
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. spring — the season
  6. row — a line
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. pop — music
  11. mug — to rob
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — a face
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. spring — of water
  20. pop — soda
  21. row — to paddle
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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