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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pop — to visit
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cap — a lid
  6. season — of the year
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cap — of ice
  9. staff — employees
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pop — music
  13. band — a music group
  14. season — in sport
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bass — the fish
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pop — soda
  20. band — a ring
  21. staff — employees
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bass — low music
  24. prune — to trim

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