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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bear — the animal
  3. land — to come down
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. land — a country
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stock — goods
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. cap — a lid
  18. land — ground
  19. stock — shares
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cap — of ice
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. court — of law

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