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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. band — a music group
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. can — a tin
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. court — of a king
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. clip — a video
  17. squash — the sport
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. cap — a hat
  23. band — a ring
  24. clip — for paper

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