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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pop · band · bear · arm · bass · cap · court · lean

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. cap — a hat
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pop — soda
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bass — low music
  10. court — of law
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pop — to visit
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bear — the animal
  16. lean — thin
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. band — a music group
  19. bass — the fish
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pop — music
  22. band — a ring
  23. cap — a lid
  24. court — of a king

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