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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 116 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: march · cue · wound · band · spring · dip · cap · charge

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. spring — a coil
  3. charge — electricity
  4. cue — for pool
  5. charge — a price
  6. wound — an injury
  7. band — a ring
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. charge — in control
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. march — the month
  13. dip — to sink
  14. march — the month
  15. spring — of water
  16. cue — a hint
  17. march — music
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spring — the season
  23. band — a music group
  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