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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. cap — a lid
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. chip — to eat
  8. mate — to breed
  9. ground — crushed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stand — to bear
  12. chip — for betting
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — there
  21. ground — a position
  22. present — the time now
  23. mate — a friend
  24. wound — an injury

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