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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bear — the animal
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. wound — an injury
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. current — happening now
  14. spring — the season
  15. current — of water
  16. bear — the animal
  17. kick — in football
  18. cap — a lid
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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