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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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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bear — the animal
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cap — a lid
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bear — the animal
  9. band — a music group
  10. wound — an injury
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. kid — child
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. plane — a tool
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. cap — of ice
  20. band — a ring
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wound — an injury

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