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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mine — for digging
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. ground — a position
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. band — a music group
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cap — a hat
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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