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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. tube — a container
  5. cap — a lid
  6. spring — of water
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. spring — a coil
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. spring — the season
  19. pop — soda
  20. file — a tool
  21. bass — low music
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. tube — in a tire

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