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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: last · scale · tube · cap · lie · ground · band · spell

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. spell — magic
  3. tube — the underground
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cap — a lid
  6. ground — the earth
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. ground — a position
  9. scale — size or range
  10. lie — to recline
  11. ground — crushed
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cap — a hat
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. tube — a container
  17. spell — a short time
  18. scale — in music
  19. spell — letters
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. last — to go on

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