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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pass — a permit
  8. file — a tool
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. field — for sport
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. file — a document
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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