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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. fall — the season
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. craft — a skill
  8. capital — money
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — boats
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bass — low music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cap — a hat
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. capital — a city
  24. trunk — of a car

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