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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. cap — a lid
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. fall — the season
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. fall — to drop
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. tear — to rip
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — a permit
  22. branch — a division
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. cap — of ice

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