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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. present — there
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. current — electric
  7. present — a gift
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. current — of water
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. cap — a lid
  15. current — happening now
  16. branch — a division
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cap — of ice
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fall — the season
  23. present — the time now
  24. wind — moving air

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