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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: stand · pit · band · bark · bear · cap · pop · bat

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pop — to visit
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. pit — in a race
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — to shout
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. bear — the animal
  18. band — a ring
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bear — the animal
  21. band — a music group
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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