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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cap — of ice
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. band — a ring
  5. cap — a hat
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. track — a path
  13. cap — a lid
  14. wound — an injury
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. stand — to bear
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. wound — an injury
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. dip — to sink
  23. band — a music group
  24. foot — the bottom

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