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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pound — a weight
  3. spell — magic
  4. cap — a lid
  5. spell — letters
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. spell — a short time
  17. branch — a division
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. row — a line
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bore — to tire
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bore — to drill

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