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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: vault · mug · cap · face · spring · rock · band · scale

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cap — of ice
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. band — a ring
  6. mug — to rob
  7. face — to confront
  8. cap — a hat
  9. band — a music group
  10. face — part of the head
  11. vault — a safe
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mug — a cup
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. rock — music
  18. mug — a face
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. scale — in music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. face — to point toward
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. spring — the season

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