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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. shower — to wash
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. track — to keep track
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cap — a hat
  10. track — a song
  11. bass — low music
  12. stem — to come from
  13. shower — rain
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. row — to paddle
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cap — a lid
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. row — a line
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. track — a path
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. row — a quarrel

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