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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — a face
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mug — to rob
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. cap — of ice

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