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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: band · object · jam · bay · spring · capital · cap · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. cap — a hat
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. object — an aim
  6. capital — a city
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. band — a music group
  10. spring — the season
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. band — a ring
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. object — to protest
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. chest — a box
  17. capital — money
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. cap — of ice
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. object — a thing
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. spring — of water
  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