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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bark — to shout
  5. rock — a stone
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rock — music
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cell — in biology
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. snap — to click

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