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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. suit — to fit
  4. spring — of water
  5. mark — a trace
  6. present — a gift
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. present — there
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. present — the time now
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. suit — in cards
  15. land — ground
  16. spring — a coil
  17. stem — to come from
  18. suit — clothes
  19. spring — the season
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. mark — a grade
  24. calf — a young animal

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