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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: march · cap · ground · pop · firm · perch · lash · rash

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. pop — music
  3. march — the month
  4. pop — to visit
  5. march — the month
  6. rash — a series
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — decided
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pop — soda
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cap — of ice
  18. firm — a company
  19. perch — the fish
  20. cap — a lid
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. march — 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