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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mark — a trace
  7. cap — a hat
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. hand — in cards
  13. band — a music group
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. hand — help
  18. rash — hasty
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. mark — a grade
  21. band — a ring
  22. cap — a lid
  23. rash — a series
  24. bear — the animal

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