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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · cap · spell · mate · rock · cold · lean · season

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cap — a lid
  8. lean — thin
  9. mate — a partner
  10. cold — not warm
  11. mate — to breed
  12. rock — a stone
  13. season — of the year
  14. band — a music group
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cold — an illness
  17. rock — music
  18. season — in sport
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. mate — a friend
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. band — a ring
  24. cap — of ice

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