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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. cap — a lid
  3. band — a ring
  4. track — a song
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. band — a music group
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. track — a path
  11. lean — thin
  12. track — to keep track
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. net — for catching
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. hand — help
  18. cap — a hat
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. net — in sport
  23. cap — of ice
  24. net — after costs

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