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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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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: cabinet · stick · bear · wind · band · cap · track · hide

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. band — a music group
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. track — to keep track
  7. band — a ring
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cap — a hat
  10. track — a song
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bear — the animal
  13. track — a path
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cap — a lid
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cap — of ice
  24. band — a rubber band

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