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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: hand · cell · root · fan · band · season · ground · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. hand — in cards
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. ground — crushed
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. root — of a word
  11. band — a ring
  12. ground — a position
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — in sport
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. root — the cause
  17. cap — of ice
  18. root — of a plant
  19. ground — the earth
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cell — in biology
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hand — help
  24. cell — a phone

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