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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cap — a hat
  4. stand — to bear
  5. band — a music group
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. cap — of ice
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. lie — to recline
  11. capital — money
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. band — a ring
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. squash — the sport
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. capital — a city
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cap — a lid
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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