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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. branch — a division
  6. lie — to recline
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cap — a lid
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — there
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. cap — of ice
  14. fall — the season
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fall — to drop
  17. roll — a list
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. fall — to drop
  20. present — a gift
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. roll — a cake
  24. foot — a measure

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