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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. tube — a container
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bear — the animal
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. prune — to trim
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. prune — to trim
  18. key — the most important part
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. key — in music
  23. cap — of ice
  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