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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. capital — a city
  4. cap — a hat
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. capital — money
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bass — low music
  19. lie — to recline
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pitch — completely
  23. cap — a lid
  24. prune — to trim

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