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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: hide · bulb · vault · capital · club · cap · branch · bear

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. vault — a safe
  3. club — for golf
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bear — the animal
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bear — the animal
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. club — a group
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. cap — a lid
  24. club — for dancing

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