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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. cap — a hat
  3. rest — a break
  4. bear — the animal
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. rule — government
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. chest — of your body
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. chest — a box
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. chest — of your body
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rule — a law
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. branch — a division
  24. cap — a lid

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