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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: cap · nail · straw · capital · bore · mug · band · vault

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. vault — a safe
  4. mug — a cup
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. capital — a city
  10. mug — a face
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. capital — money
  16. cap — a lid
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. band — a ring
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bore — to drill
  24. nail — for a hammer

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