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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. current — electric
  4. march — the month
  5. branch — a division
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cap — a hat
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. current — happening now
  12. wake — a trail
  13. lean — to bend
  14. march — music
  15. lean — thin
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. march — the month
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cap — of ice
  22. current — of water
  23. squash — the sport
  24. stand — to bear

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