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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bulb — for light
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stem — to come from
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bulb — for light
  17. band — a ring
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cap — a hat
  22. toast — bread
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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