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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
468
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: band · ruler · can · tear · capital · straw · pitcher · mug

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. band — a ring
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. can — to be able to
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. capital — a city
  8. tear — from crying
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. can — a tin
  11. mug — a face
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. capital — money
  17. mug — to rob
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. tear — to rip
  21. band — a music group
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. mug — a cup
  24. ruler — for measuring

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