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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 116 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cap — a hat
  5. land — to come down
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bound — certain
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. band — a ring
  13. land — a country
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pound — a weight
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bound — tied together
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rock — music
  22. band — a music group
  23. land — ground
  24. pound — for dogs

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