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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 120 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. prune — to trim
  4. band — a ring
  5. bark — to shout
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. fall — the season
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. band — a music group
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fork — in a road
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bank — for money
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bank — for money
  22. fall — to drop
  23. lean — thin
  24. bank — of a river

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