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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fork — in a road
  8. march — the month
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. court — of law
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — to come from
  18. march — music
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. march — the month

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