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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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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: vault · can · wind · branch · band · bear · cap · swing

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. swing — to play on
  4. cap — a lid
  5. band — a ring
  6. cap — of ice
  7. vault — a safe
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. swing — music
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wind — moving air
  15. branch — a division
  16. wind — moving air
  17. can — to be able to
  18. band — a music group
  19. can — a tin
  20. swing — in golf
  21. can — a tin
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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