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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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Word bank
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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. kid — child
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bear — the animal
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. stock — shares
  9. branch — a division
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. fall — to drop
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a plant
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cap — a hat
  19. fall — to drop
  20. kid — to tease
  21. stock — goods
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fall — the season
  24. root — of a word

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