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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cap — a lid
  11. craft — boats
  12. capital — money
  13. branch — a division
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bound — certain
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. capital — a city
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bound — obliged
  24. straw — a straw man

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