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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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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 · land · bear · pop · spell · cap · can · track

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cap — of ice
  3. spell — magic
  4. pop — music
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pop — soda
  7. track — a path
  8. land — a country
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bear — the animal
  11. can — to be able to
  12. land — ground
  13. can — a tin
  14. spell — a short time
  15. track — a song
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. land — to come down
  18. cap — a hat
  19. track — to keep track
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. spell — letters
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stand — on your feet

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