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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: firm · perch · band · cap · spring · wound · suit · season

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cap — of ice
  3. season — of the year
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. suit — in cards
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cap — a hat
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. spring — the season
  12. band — a ring
  13. firm — steady
  14. season — in sport
  15. suit — to fit
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. firm — a company
  18. suit — clothes
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. firm — decided
  21. band — a music group
  22. perch — the fish
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wound — an injury

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