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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 116 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: cap · cell · bear · deal · wake · wound · pitcher · cabinet

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wound — an injury
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bear — the animal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wound — an injury

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