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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: cap · fall · mark · band · wound · spring · bank · wax

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bank — of a river
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bank — for money
  8. mark — a grade
  9. spring — of water
  10. mark — a trace
  11. cap — a hat
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. spring — a coil
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. band — a music group
  18. bank — for money
  19. spring — the season
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fall — to drop
  22. band — a ring
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wax — in the ear

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