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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cap — a hat
  3. prune — to trim
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. race — humankind
  6. saw — the tool
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a music group
  10. bore — to drill
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. race — a contest
  17. cap — of ice
  18. saw — the tool
  19. perch — the fish
  20. prune — to trim
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bore — to tire

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