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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 120 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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pop — music
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cap — a lid
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pop — soda
  11. sharp — clever
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pop — to visit
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. lean — to bend
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a ring
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. sharp — with an edge

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