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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. lean — thin
  4. present — the time now
  5. swing — in golf
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. present — a gift
  9. branch — a division
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — music
  12. rash — a series
  13. cap — of ice
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rash — hasty
  16. present — there
  17. shower — rain
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. lean — to bend
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cap — a hat

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