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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. cap — of ice
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. perch — the fish
  5. cap — a lid
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pop — to visit
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. band — a music group
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. dip — to sink
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — there
  17. cap — a hat
  18. pop — music
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. present — a gift
  24. pop — soda

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