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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fall — to drop
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cap — a lid
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. mine — for digging
  9. can — a tin
  10. cap — of ice
  11. can — to be able to
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cap — a hat
  15. scale — in music
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. can — a tin
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. fall — the season

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