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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · cap · nail · capital · season · shower · present · deal

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. season — of the year
  3. cap — a hat
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cap — a lid
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. season — in sport
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. present — the time now
  13. deal — to handle
  14. capital — a city
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. shower — rain
  18. cap — of ice
  19. present — a gift
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. shower — to wash
  23. capital — money
  24. present — there

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