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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: rock · trunk · band · race · nail · season · present · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. season — in sport
  3. present — there
  4. rock — music
  5. band — a music group
  6. cap — a hat
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — a contest
  11. cap — a lid
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. present — a gift
  15. band — a ring
  16. season — of the year
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. present — the time now
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rock — a stone
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. trunk — of a car

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