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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. clip — to cut
  3. cap — a hat
  4. craft — a skill
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pop — to visit
  9. ground — the earth
  10. clip — a video
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. band — a ring
  13. clip — for paper
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pop — music
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. pop — soda
  20. ground — a position
  21. band — a music group
  22. craft — boats
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cap — of ice

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