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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · wound · bore · band · scale · vault · capital · rest

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rest — a break
  5. wound — an injury
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. capital — a city
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. rest — what's left
  12. scale — in music
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. capital — money
  16. band — a music group
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — a safe
  19. season — of the year
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wound — an injury
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bore — to drill
  24. season — in sport

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