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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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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: branch · cap · perch · game · hide · cold · pass · nail

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. game — a match
  4. cold — an illness
  5. perch — the fish
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cap — of ice
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. branch — a division
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. game — wild animals
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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