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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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. branch — of a tree
  4. bass — low music
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bound — tied together
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bound — certain
  12. face — to point toward
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bass — the fish
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. branch — a division
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pitch — completely
  24. face — to confront

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