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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 120 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bear — the animal
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. march — the month
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. prune — to trim
  17. march — music
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bear — the animal
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cap — of ice
  24. march — the month

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