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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cap — of ice
  5. staff — employees
  6. bulb — for light
  7. land — to come down
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spell — magic
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. staff — employees
  13. cap — a lid
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. land — ground
  16. prune — to trim
  17. net — in sport
  18. spell — a short time
  19. land — a country
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bulb — for light
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. spell — letters

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