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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rush — hurry
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bark — to shout
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bank — for money
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bank — for money
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bank — of a river
  18. cap — a hat
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. stem — of a plant

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