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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. tear — to rip
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. cap — a lid
  7. tear — from crying
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. pop — to visit
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cap — of ice
  17. rash — a series
  18. pop — soda
  19. cue — a signal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rock — music
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pop — music

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