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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bound — tied together
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. cap — a lid
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bound — obliged
  11. club — for golf
  12. squash — to crush
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. club — a group
  15. bound — certain
  16. club — for dancing
  17. squash — the sport
  18. cap — of ice

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