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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cap — a hat
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — of ice
  6. deal — to handle
  7. can — to be able to
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rash — a series
  10. land — to come down
  11. tear — from crying
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. tear — from crying
  14. can — a tin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. perch — the fish
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. can — a tin
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. land — a country
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. perch — for a bird

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