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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. capital — a city
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. band — a music group
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — an aim
  10. season — of the year
  11. band — a ring
  12. snap — to click
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stand — to bear
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. can — a tin
  21. prune — to trim
  22. object — a thing
  23. capital — money
  24. prune — the fruit

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