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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bound — obliged
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. spring — a coil
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bound — certain
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bound — tied together
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cap — a lid

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