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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cap — a hat
  3. root — of a word
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. can — to be able to
  6. fall — the season
  7. cap — of ice
  8. season — of the year
  9. land — a country
  10. clip — a video
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. season — in sport
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. clip — to cut
  16. can — a tin
  17. root — the cause
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. clip — for paper
  22. root — of a plant
  23. cap — a lid
  24. can — a tin

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