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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 light ________________ burned out.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pop — soda
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mug — a face
  11. land — a country
  12. mug — a cup
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. current — of water
  15. current — electric
  16. land — to come down
  17. bulb — for light
  18. land — ground
  19. pop — music
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. current — happening now
  22. pop — to visit
  23. mug — to rob
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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