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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: wind · club · cap · rock · cold · safe · staff · band

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rock — a stone
  3. band — a ring
  4. club — for dancing
  5. wind — moving air
  6. club — a group
  7. staff — employees
  8. club — for golf
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cap — a hat
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rock — music
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cold — an illness
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wind — moving air
  21. staff — employees
  22. cold — not warm
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. band — a music group

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