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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. staff — employees
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bound — certain
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. cap — of ice
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pop — music
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bound — tied together
  15. pop — soda
  16. band — a ring
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. staff — employees
  19. cap — a lid
  20. staff — a stick
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bear — the animal
  24. squash — the sport

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