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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 · rule · cap · scale · pop · safe · cell · net

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cap — of ice
  4. band — a music group
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. scale — in music
  7. rule — a law
  8. pop — music
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. net — for catching
  11. pop — soda
  12. cap — a hat
  13. net — after costs
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cap — a lid
  17. rule — government
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — a phone
  23. net — in sport
  24. safe — a strongbox

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