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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. cap — a lid
  3. capital — money
  4. bear — the animal
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. root — of a plant
  8. capital — a city
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cap — of ice
  12. band — a ring
  13. wake — a trail
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. deal — to handle
  16. root — of a word
  17. cap — a hat
  18. spell — letters
  19. root — the cause
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spell — magic
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wake — before a funeral

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