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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. current — happening now
  3. cap — of ice
  4. current — of water
  5. lean — thin
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lean — to bend
  21. current — electric
  22. stem — to come from
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — in a road

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