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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. field — farmland
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. spell — magic
  11. tear — from crying
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cap — of ice
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cap — a hat
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. band — a ring
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. band — a music group

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