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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. can — a tin
  3. cap — a lid
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bulb — for light
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. scale — in music
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bulb — for light
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. can — a tin
  24. bank — of a river

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