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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: pitcher · clip · spring · band · ruler · rash · cap · suit

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. band — a music group
  3. suit — in cards
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cap — of ice
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. clip — to cut
  10. cap — a lid
  11. clip — a video
  12. band — a ring
  13. rash — a series
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. suit — clothes
  16. clip — for paper
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rash — hasty
  19. spring — of water
  20. suit — to fit
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. spring — the season
  24. ruler — for measuring

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