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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 116 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. field — farmland
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. cap — a hat
  9. craft — boats
  10. bank — for money
  11. spell — magic
  12. field — for sport
  13. cap — a lid
  14. dip — to sink
  15. craft — a skill
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. field — a subject
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bank — for money
  20. spell — letters
  21. bank — of a river
  22. spell — a short time
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. ball — a dance

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