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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. branch — a division
  3. fall — to drop
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cap — a lid
  7. vault — a safe
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. march — the month
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. march — music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cap — a hat
  17. fall — to drop
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pop — music
  20. fall — the season
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. march — the month
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — to visit

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