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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: cap · can · march · bear · craft · net · stick · shower

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cap — a lid
  5. shower — rain
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. cap — of ice
  10. can — to be able to
  11. shower — to wash
  12. net — after costs
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. can — a tin
  15. march — the month
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bear — the animal
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. march — the month
  20. craft — boats
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. march — music
  23. craft — a skill
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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