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

Word bank: cap · cell · can · bulb · stem · saw · tear · ruler

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. saw — the tool
  3. tear — to rip
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bulb — for light
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cell — in biology
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bulb — for light
  12. can — a tin
  13. stem — to come from
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. can — a tin
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cell — a phone
  24. can — to be able to

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