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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 120 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. staff — employees
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. staff — a stick
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. staff — employees
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. cap — a lid
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. tube — a container
  19. wax — to grow
  20. cap — of ice
  21. tube — the underground
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. temple — a place of worship

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