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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 124 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cell — a phone
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. field — for sport
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. field — a subject
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. field — farmland
  17. rush — hurry
  18. cap — a hat
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bank — of a river
  24. can — a tin

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