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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 120 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 · mug · squash · calf · present · spring · fall · cap

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cap — of ice
  3. band — a music group
  4. present — there
  5. mug — a cup
  6. fall — the season
  7. squash — the sport
  8. spring — of water
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mug — a face
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. squash — to crush
  14. present — a gift
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. present — the time now
  17. cap — a hat
  18. band — a ring
  19. mug — to rob
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cap — a lid
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. spring — the season
  24. calf — a young animal

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