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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. cap — a hat
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pound — a weight
  5. branch — a division
  6. season — of the year
  7. tube — a container
  8. ground — the earth
  9. tube — the underground
  10. cap — a lid
  11. can — a tin
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. fall — to drop
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. ground — crushed
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. fall — the season
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. cap — of ice
  21. ground — a position
  22. fall — to drop
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. can — a tin

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