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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: pop · band · mug · mark · cap · fork · arm · kid

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pop — to visit
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. band — a ring
  7. fork — in a road
  8. band — a music group
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mug — a cup
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. mug — a face
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cap — a hat
  17. pop — music
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mark — a trace
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pop — soda
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. kid — child

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