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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: band · deal · vault · key · rest · bear · cap · pound

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. key — for a lock
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. cap — a lid
  10. rest — what's left
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. key — in music
  16. deal — to handle
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — a safe
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. cap — a hat

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