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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 · cap · spring · trunk · mark · mate · rest · tube

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  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. band — a music group
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. spring — the season
  8. band — a ring
  9. tube — a container
  10. mate — a partner
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rest — a break
  13. mate — a friend
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. cap — a hat
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. rest — what's left
  19. tube — the underground
  20. spring — of water
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mate — to breed
  23. trunk — of a car
  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