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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mug — a face
  4. suit — clothes
  5. suit — to fit
  6. root — of a plant
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. root — of a word
  11. suit — in cards
  12. spell — a short time
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. clip — to cut
  15. spell — magic
  16. clip — a video
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. mug — to rob
  19. root — the cause
  20. mug — a cup
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pound — a weight
  23. spell — letters
  24. cap — of ice

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