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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 120 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: spell · pitcher · bear · cap · cold · suit · pop · spring

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. spring — a coil
  3. pop — to visit
  4. cap — of ice
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. spell — magic
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cap — a lid
  9. pop — music
  10. spring — the season
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. suit — to fit
  14. pop — soda
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. spell — letters
  17. suit — clothes
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cap — a hat
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spring — of water
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. suit — in cards

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