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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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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: band · spring · rock · cap · fine · vault · wax · hand

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. rock — a stone
  4. spring — of water
  5. cap — a lid
  6. rock — music
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fine — high quality
  9. band — a ring
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. fine — all right
  14. wax — to grow
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. hand — help
  17. vault — a safe
  18. spring — the season
  19. hand — in cards
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. band — a music group
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cap — a hat
  24. band — a rubber band

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