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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rest · cabinet · land · scale · sharp · straw · cap · stem

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rest — what's left
  3. scale — size or range
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. land — to come down
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. cap — of ice
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rest — what's left
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. land — ground
  18. sharp — clever
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. rest — a break
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. scale — in music
  23. land — a country
  24. stem — to come from

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