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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mug — a face
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rest — a break
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mug — a cup
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bear — the animal
  17. prune — to trim
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rest — what's left
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cap — of ice
  24. mouse — the animal

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