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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: mouse · lie · band · trunk · rush · cap · track · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. track — to keep track
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. cap — of ice
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cold — an illness
  12. track — a path
  13. cap — a hat
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cap — a lid
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. track — a song
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. band — a music group
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. rush — hurry

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