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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — a skill
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. spell — letters
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cap — a lid
  11. craft — boats
  12. mine — for digging
  13. charge — electricity
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spell — magic
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — in control
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spell — a short time
  24. prune — the fruit

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