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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cap — of ice
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. current — of water
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. tube — the underground
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — in sport
  16. bat — the animal
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. current — electric
  19. stem — to come from
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. net — for catching
  23. tube — a container
  24. current — happening now

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