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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cap — a hat
  4. root — the cause
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. fork — in a road
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. stand — to bear
  10. root — of a word
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lean — thin
  14. root — of a plant
  15. ball — a dance
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. cap — of ice
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. lean — to bend
  21. cap — a lid
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. band — a ring
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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