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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. club — for golf
  6. present — the time now
  7. bark — to shout
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. band — a ring
  13. present — there
  14. club — a group
  15. cap — a hat
  16. present — a gift
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — to bear
  23. cap — a lid
  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