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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: spring · vault · can · row · cap · wax · band · net

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. can — a tin
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cap — of ice
  6. spring — the season
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. net — after costs
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. band — a ring
  13. row — to paddle
  14. can — a tin
  15. cap — a lid
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wax — to grow
  18. spring — of water
  19. row — a line
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cap — a hat
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — a safe
  24. row — a quarrel

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