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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bear · track · cap · hand · deal · clip · perch · season

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. clip — a video
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. clip — to cut
  8. season — of the year
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. track — a path
  11. season — in sport
  12. cap — of ice
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bear — the animal
  15. track — a song
  16. bear — the animal
  17. clip — for paper
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. track — to keep track
  22. deal — to handle
  23. perch — the fish
  24. hand — help

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