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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 120 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. file — a tool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. lean — thin
  10. file — a line of people
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. file — a document
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cap — of ice
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cap — a lid
  23. chest — a box
  24. racket — a loud noise

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