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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. prune — to trim
  7. scale — in music
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. degree — from a university
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bound — obliged
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bound — certain
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stem — to come from
  21. staff — employees
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bound — tied together
  24. prune — to trim

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