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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: spring · cap · scale · content · lash · stick · prune · snap

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. cap — of ice
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cap — a hat
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. cap — a lid
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. spring — of water
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. content — happy
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. scale — size or range
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. content — the amount
  22. spring — the season
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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