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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. band — a music group
  5. stand — to bear
  6. cap — a lid
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. band — a ring
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. field — a subject
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. cap — of ice
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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