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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bound — tied together
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. band — a ring
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. cap — of ice
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bound — obliged
  13. ground — a position
  14. bound — certain
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. band — a music group
  17. dip — to sink
  18. race — humankind
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ground — crushed
  22. race — a contest
  23. cap — a hat
  24. ground — the earth

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