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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. foot — a measure
  3. band — a ring
  4. clip — a video
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wound — an injury
  9. clip — for paper
  10. stock — goods
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stock — shares
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wound — an injury
  18. band — a music group
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cap — a lid
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cap — of ice

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