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

Word bank: fall · stem · cap · stick · row · hide · mouse · bulb

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. fall — the season
  22. cap — a lid
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. row — a line

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