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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. saw — the tool
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cap — of ice
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. land — to come down
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — a tool
  14. present — a gift
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. perch — the fish
  17. present — there
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. branch — a division
  20. land — a country
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. present — the time now
  23. land — ground
  24. cap — a lid

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