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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cap — of ice
  6. current — electric
  7. press — to push
  8. wax — to grow
  9. current — of water
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. current — happening now
  14. cap — a lid
  15. press — newspapers
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rock — a stone
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rock — music
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. press — a publisher
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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