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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: rest · spell · bass · club · present · cap · cabinet · band

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. present — a gift
  3. club — for dancing
  4. present — there
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. spell — magic
  7. bass — the fish
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rest — a break
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. spell — letters
  12. club — for golf
  13. cap — of ice
  14. present — the time now
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. band — a ring
  17. cap — a hat
  18. rest — what's left
  19. club — a group
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bass — low music
  22. cap — a lid
  23. band — a music group
  24. cabinet — ministers

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