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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. band — a music group
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. band — a ring
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. row — to paddle
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bark — to shout
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. cap — a lid
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. row — a line
  24. cap — a hat

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