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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 120 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. tear — to rip
  6. cap — a lid
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. bound — obliged
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rash — a series
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bound — tied together
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cap — of ice
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bound — certain
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fan — a supporter

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