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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 are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. hide — to keep secret
  3. bank — of a river
  4. land — ground
  5. bank — for money
  6. land — a country
  7. date — the fruit
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. spell — letters
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pop — music
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pop — soda
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cap — of ice
  16. spell — magic
  17. cap — a lid
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spell — a short time
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pop — to visit
  23. land — to come down
  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