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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: jam · band · cap · bark · coach · wake · wave · cold

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. wake — a trail
  9. band — a ring
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. band — a music group
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cold — an illness
  24. wave — with your hand

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