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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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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: wind · band · pass · trunk · vault · cap · mug · kid

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. cap — a hat
  4. band — a ring
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. mug — a face
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pass — a permit
  13. band — a music group
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cap — of ice
  17. kid — child
  18. cap — a lid
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wind — moving air
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. mug — to rob
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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