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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. date — the fruit
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. hand — help
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cap — of ice
  13. hand — in cards
  14. cap — a lid
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. swing — music
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. swing — to play on
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. swing — in golf
  24. branch — a division

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