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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. suit — in cards
  4. band — a music group
  5. can — a tin
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pound — a weight
  8. can — a tin
  9. spring — of water
  10. face — to point toward
  11. suit — clothes
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cap — a hat
  14. face — to confront
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. face — part of the head
  17. can — to be able to
  18. spring — the season
  19. suit — to fit
  20. band — a ring
  21. cap — a lid
  22. content — happy
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. content — the amount

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