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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: ground · last · suit · band · vault · capital · club · wave

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. last — finally
  4. ground — a position
  5. suit — in cards
  6. ground — the earth
  7. last — to go on
  8. band — a ring
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. vault — a safe
  11. suit — to fit
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. club — for dancing
  14. band — a music group
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. club — a group
  17. capital — a city
  18. last — final
  19. suit — clothes
  20. club — for golf
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. ground — crushed
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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