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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
468
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: season · suit · tube · deal · rash · band · cap · cold

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. band — a music group
  3. deal — to handle
  4. suit — in cards
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — a container
  11. rash — a series
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — clothes
  14. cold — an illness
  15. band — a ring
  16. rash — hasty
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cap — a lid
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cap — of ice
  23. season — in sport
  24. deal — a big deal

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