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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. prune — to trim
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. scale — size or range
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bulb — for light
  18. scale — in music
  19. cap — of ice
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. scale — for weighing

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