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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hand — help
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. can — a tin
  7. fall — to drop
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. can — to be able to
  10. fall — the season
  11. hand — in cards
  12. dip — to sink
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. season — in sport
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. can — a tin
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. season — of the year

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