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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: wind · bear · band · cap · drill · firm · bass · season

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bass — low music
  4. drill — the tool
  5. firm — decided
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cap — a hat
  8. season — in sport
  9. cap — of ice
  10. firm — a company
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bear — the animal
  14. firm — steady
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. drill — army training
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. band — a ring
  24. drill — a practice

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