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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. fall — the season
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bass — low music
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. fall — to drop
  9. branch — a division
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mine — for digging
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bass — the fish
  24. branch — of a tree

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