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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cell — in biology
  3. march — the month
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cap — a lid
  8. march — the month
  9. spring — of water
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. march — music
  12. craft — a skill
  13. cap — a hat
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. roll — a cake
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. spring — the season
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. craft — boats
  23. roll — a list
  24. fan — a supporter

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