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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: pop · jam · band · bore · mine · chip · cap · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — for betting
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — music
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. band — a ring
  9. cap — of ice
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. ground — the earth
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bore — to tire
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a music group
  21. cap — a hat
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bore — to drill
  24. cap — a lid

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