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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. cap — a hat
  5. band — a music group
  6. spell — a short time
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. can — a tin
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cell — in biology
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bound — tied together
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. plane — a tool
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bound — certain
  22. bark — to shout
  23. can — a tin
  24. cap — of ice

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