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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: craft · lie · scale · patient · root · cap · can · kid

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. kid — child
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. kid — to tease
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. root — of a plant
  8. craft — a skill
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. root — the cause
  16. cap — a lid
  17. can — to be able to
  18. craft — boats
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. root — of a word
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. craft — a handicraft
  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