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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cap — a hat
  4. scale — size or range
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wound — an injury
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cap — of ice
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — to sink
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — to come from
  21. scale — in music
  22. spell — magic
  23. cap — a lid
  24. stem — of a plant

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