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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. craft — boats
  10. branch — a division
  11. pop — to visit
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tear — to rip
  14. fork — in a road
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pop — soda
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pop — music
  23. craft — a skill
  24. fork — to eat with

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