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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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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: tear · cap · cell · band · last · staff · bear · swing

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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. last — to go on
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. tear — to rip
  5. swing — to play on
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cell — in biology
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cap — a hat
  10. last — final
  11. band — a music group
  12. last — finally
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. swing — music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bear — the animal
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bear — the animal
  20. band — a ring
  21. cell — a phone
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bear — to put up with
  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