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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. staff — a stick
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. spring — the season
  5. staff — employees
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cap — a hat
  8. spring — of water
  9. cap — a lid
  10. branch — a division
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. staff — employees
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. kid — to tease
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spring — a coil
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. kid — child

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