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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. hand — help
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. ground — crushed
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cap — of ice
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. ground — a position
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. cap — a lid
  18. ground — the earth
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. rock — music
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. wake — a trail

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