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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 120 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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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: can · ground · mark · degree · cap · band · pass · hide

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. can — a tin
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. cap — a lid
  5. band — a music group
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. ground — crushed
  11. can — a tin
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. band — a ring
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. ground — a position
  18. cap — a hat
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pass — a permit
  21. can — to be able to
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — a grade
  24. hide — to keep secret

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