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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cap — of ice
  3. lean — to bend
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. content — the amount
  7. band — a ring
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. content — happy
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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