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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cap — a hat
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. clip — to cut
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cell — a phone
  7. board — a committee
  8. band — a ring
  9. clip — a video
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. band — a music group
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. cap — of ice
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bear — the animal
  21. board — to get on
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cell — in biology

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