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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. season — in sport
  3. bulb — for light
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. branch — a division
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. season — of the year
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. last — to go on
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. tear — to rip
  20. lie — to recline
  21. cap — a lid
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bulb — for light

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