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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. cap — a hat
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bulb — for light
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bulb — for light
  10. kid — to tease
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. press — to push
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. deal — to handle
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cap — a lid
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. press — a publisher
  24. kid — child

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