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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cap — a hat
  11. chest — a box
  12. fall — the season
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. branch — a division
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fall — to drop
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cap — of ice
  24. mark — a grade

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