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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · tear · lie · pitcher · spring · prune · mouse · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cap — a hat
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. tear — to rip
  12. spring — of water
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spring — the season
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. prune — to trim
  18. tear — from crying
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spring — a coil
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cap — of ice
  24. lie — to recline

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