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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cap — a lid
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bear — the animal
  7. present — the time now
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cap — of ice
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. cap — a hat
  14. present — a gift
  15. cold — not warm
  16. pit — a hole
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. present — there
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. toast — bread
  22. cold — an illness
  23. stem — to come from
  24. pit — in a race

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