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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 120 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. present — a gift
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. last — final
  7. last — to go on
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spring — the season
  12. cap — of ice
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spring — of water
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. last — finally
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cap — a lid
  24. spring — a coil

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