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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rule — government
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bound — certain
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. prune — to trim
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rule — a law
  20. bound — obliged
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mine — for digging

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