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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. band — a music group
  4. swing — in golf
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. scale — in music
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fall — to drop
  11. swing — music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bound — certain
  15. lean — to bend
  16. fork — in a road
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. band — a ring
  19. fall — the season
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fall — to drop
  22. lean — thin
  23. bound — obliged
  24. swing — to play on

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