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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. stand — to bear
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. can — a tin
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bound — obliged
  12. craft — boats
  13. can — a tin
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. tear — from crying
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bound — certain
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. tear — to rip
  24. craft — a skill

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