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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 · drill · last · wake · pound · cap · fine · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. cap — of ice
  3. fine — all right
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. object — an aim
  6. pound — a weight
  7. cap — a hat
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. last — finally
  11. drill — army training
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. cap — a lid
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. last — to go on
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. last — final
  20. band — a ring
  21. object — a thing
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. drill — the tool
  24. band — a music group

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