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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. ground — the earth
  6. can — a tin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — to bend
  14. ground — a position
  15. can — to be able to
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. can — a tin
  18. hand — in cards
  19. band — a ring
  20. mark — a trace
  21. hand — help
  22. band — a music group
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mark — a grade

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