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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bark — to shout
  7. craft — a skill
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bore — to tire
  16. stem — to come from
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. cap — of ice
  21. degree — from a university
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. cap — a lid
  24. degree — temperature

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