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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: band · cap · game · bound · spring · bass · can · season

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. cap — a lid
  3. band — a music group
  4. bound — tied together
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. spring — of water
  7. season — of the year
  8. cap — a hat
  9. season — in sport
  10. spring — the season
  11. can — a tin
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bound — certain
  14. spring — a coil
  15. band — a ring
  16. game — a match
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. can — a tin
  23. bass — low music
  24. bound — obliged

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