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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cap — a hat
  3. spring — the season
  4. bank — for money
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bore — to drill
  8. last — final
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bank — for money
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. cue — a hint
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. spring — of water
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. cue — a signal
  20. last — to go on
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. last — finally
  24. spring — a coil

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