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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 124 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bank — of a river
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bank — for money
  10. band — a ring
  11. ground — the earth
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bank — for money
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. band — a music group
  17. cap — a hat
  18. ground — crushed
  19. dip — to sink
  20. ground — a position
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. mine — belonging to me

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