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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 124 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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. prune — to trim
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. cap — a lid
  5. band — a music group
  6. cap — of ice
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. present — a gift
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. roll — a cake
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pound — a weight
  16. present — there
  17. band — a ring
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. present — the time now
  23. cap — a hat
  24. roll — a list

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