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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wound — an injury
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cue — a hint
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cue — a signal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. prune — to trim
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bank — of a river
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cue — for pool
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. wind — moving air
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bank — for money
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bank — for money

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