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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mug — a face
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. dip — to sink
  11. ground — a position
  12. lean — to bend
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. board — a committee
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. lean — thin
  17. board — to get on
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mug — a cup
  24. lean — to rest against

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