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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. tube — a container
  3. wind — moving air
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. row — to paddle
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fall — the season
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. tube — the underground
  12. fall — to drop
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. craft — boats
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. craft — a skill
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cap — a lid
  22. row — a line
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wind — moving air

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