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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: mouse · mine · chair · cap · root · wound · club · wake

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. club — a group
  4. wound — an injury
  5. club — for dancing
  6. root — of a plant
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. club — for golf
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. root — the cause
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cap — a lid
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. chair — a leader
  22. wound — an injury
  23. root — of a word
  24. mine — for digging

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