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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 124 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
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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: pop · saw · cabinet · cell · bear · date · clip · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. date — the fruit
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bear — the animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. clip — a video
  14. pop — music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bear — the animal
  18. clip — to cut
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pop — soda
  22. cell — in biology
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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