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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. cap — a hat
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. cap — a lid
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cap — of ice
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. court — for sport
  21. cold — not warm
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. stem — to come from
  24. lie — to recline

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