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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mine — for digging
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cap — of ice
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. land — a country
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cap — a lid
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. chip — to eat
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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