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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cap — a hat
  4. ground — crushed
  5. date — the fruit
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cap — of ice
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — to bear
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. root — the cause
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. ground — the earth
  17. root — of a word
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. band — a ring
  21. cap — a lid
  22. root — of a plant
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. ground — a position

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