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

Word bank: wind · band · stick · cap · can · bat · bulb · bear

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. band — a ring
  9. can — a tin
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bear — the animal
  13. can — a tin
  14. cap — of ice
  15. band — a music group
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bear — the animal
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. cap — a lid
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bulb — for light

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