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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bass — low music
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. can — a tin
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. field — a subject
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. field — farmland
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bass — the fish
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. can — a tin
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. field — for sport
  23. lie — to recline
  24. branch — of a tree

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