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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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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: cap · scale · hide · cell · can · nail · bound · rash

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cell — a phone
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bound — certain
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. can — a tin
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cap — a lid
  11. can — a tin
  12. bound — obliged
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bound — tied together
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rash — a series
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. scale — in music
  24. rash — hasty

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