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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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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 put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. face — to point toward
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. saw — the tool
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fall — to drop
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. band — a music group
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. face — part of the head
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. saw — the tool
  17. band — a ring
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chair — a leader
  21. cap — of ice
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. face — to confront
  24. fall — the season

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