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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 · hide · can · mark · snap · hand · court · branch

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. can — a tin
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. court — of law
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. court — for sport
  8. mark — a trace
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. court — of a king
  12. hand — help
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. branch — a division
  17. snap — to click
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

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