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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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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 · nail · cap · rock · wave · cold · suit · stem

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rock — music
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. band — a music group
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. cold — not warm
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. suit — to fit
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. suit — clothes
  14. cold — an illness
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. suit — in cards
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cap — a hat
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rock — a stone
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cap — a lid

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