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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. lean — to rest against
  3. bank — for money
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bat — the animal
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. lean — thin
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. band — a ring
  15. cap — of ice
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bank — for money
  18. cap — a lid
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. toast — bread
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  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