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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pop — to visit
  4. cap — of ice
  5. lean — thin
  6. cold — not warm
  7. object — a thing
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. cold — an illness
  10. object — to protest
  11. plane — a tool
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — to bend
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. object — an aim
  16. current — happening now
  17. pop — soda
  18. branch — a division
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pop — music
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  24. branch — of a bank

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