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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. root — of a word
  3. march — music
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. dip — to sink
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. root — of a plant
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cap — of ice
  17. march — the month
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. mine — for digging
  23. march — the month
  24. root — the cause

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