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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 · fall · dip · suit · season · clip · capital · roll

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. suit — in cards
  5. roll — a list
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. clip — for paper
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. capital — money
  10. fall — the season
  11. dip — to sink
  12. roll — a cake
  13. band — a music group
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. fall — to drop
  17. suit — clothes
  18. clip — to cut
  19. suit — to fit
  20. clip — a video
  21. season — of the year
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. fall — to drop

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