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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. perch — the fish
  3. hand — in cards
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. band — a music group
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. fork — in a road
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pop — music
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. kick — in football
  16. cap — of ice
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. stem — to come from
  20. band — a ring
  21. pop — soda
  22. hand — help
  23. cap — a lid
  24. kick — a thrill

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