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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: cap · coach · band · shower · hide · nail · chest · season

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. season — of the year
  4. band — a ring
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. shower — rain
  7. cap — a hat
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cap — of ice
  12. shower — to wash
  13. chest — of your body
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. chest — a box
  18. season — in sport
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chest — of your body
  23. band — a music group
  24. hide — to keep secret

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