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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. staff — a stick
  3. prune — to trim
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. key — for a lock
  8. net — for catching
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. staff — employees
  11. rest — what's left
  12. net — in sport
  13. key — in music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rest — a break
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cap — a lid
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. staff — employees
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. key — the most important part
  23. net — after costs
  24. stem — to come from

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