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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bass — low music
  3. cap — of ice
  4. lie — to recline
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bass — the fish
  7. rash — a series
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bore — to drill
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. stem — to come from
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. rash — hasty
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bore — to tire
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

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