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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 124 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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. chest — a box
  3. bank — for money
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. chest — of your body
  6. staff — employees
  7. cap — a lid
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bank — of a river
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — to rob
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wax — to grow
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — steady
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. firm — a company
  20. staff — employees
  21. bank — for money
  22. staff — a stick
  23. mug — a face
  24. chest — of your body

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