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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bound — certain
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stock — goods
  10. snap — to click
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. present — a gift
  14. wake — a trail
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bound — obliged
  17. present — the time now
  18. stock — shares
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. cap — of ice
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. present — there

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