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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.

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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: march · kid · cap · mug · bear · plane · mouse · bowl

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. kid — to tease
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. march — music
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. march — the month
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — a cup
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. kid — child
  20. march — the month
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. mug — to rob
  24. plane — a tool

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