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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: lash · sharp · ground · pitcher · spring · lie · present · cap

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. spring — of water
  3. lie — to recline
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. present — a gift
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. ground — crushed
  8. present — there
  9. cap — a hat
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. present — the time now
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cap — a lid
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cap — of ice
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. ground — a position

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