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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mine — for digging
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. branch — a division
  5. snap — to click
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. cap — of ice
  10. can — a tin
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. stem — to come from
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. cap — a lid
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mine — an explosive

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