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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. cap — a hat
  4. field — farmland
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. land — ground
  7. bank — for money
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. field — a subject
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. perch — the fish
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. land — a country
  20. bank — of a river
  21. land — to come down
  22. field — for sport
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bank — for money

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