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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 116 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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. stand — to bear
  12. capital — money
  13. bear — the animal
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. dip — to sink
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. band — a music group
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. capital — a city
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. band — a ring
  24. capital — a big letter

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