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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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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mug — a face
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. row — to paddle
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. land — ground
  8. cap — of ice
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. cap — a lid
  11. land — to come down
  12. lie — to recline
  13. land — a country
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. branch — a division
  17. row — a line
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mug — a cup
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mug — to rob

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