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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: mate · cap · band · bass · tear · chip · bear · rule

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. rule — a law
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bass — the fish
  10. band — a music group
  11. tear — to rip
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. chip — for betting
  16. band — a ring
  17. mate — a friend
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. rule — government

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