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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: cap · hide · fan · wake · pop · arm · spring · lash

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pop — music
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cap — a lid
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. spring — the season
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pop — soda
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. pop — to visit
  14. spring — of water
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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