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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. firm — decided
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. firm — a company
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — to wash
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. file — a document
  12. saw — the tool
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. firm — steady
  15. shower — rain
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. file — a line of people
  19. branch — a division
  20. saw — the tool
  21. file — a tool
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a city

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