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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: cap · band · pitch · fine · wound · lie · trunk · ground

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. cap — a hat
  6. ground — crushed
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fine — all right
  9. lie — to recline
  10. pitch — completely
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. fine — high quality
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. ground — a position
  23. cap — a lid
  24. trunk — of a car

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