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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. 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. hide — to keep secret
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wound — an injury
  7. key — the most important part
  8. cue — a hint
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. stem — to come from
  11. key — in music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. cue — a signal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wound — an injury
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lie — to recline
  19. cue — for pool
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. key — for a lock
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. 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