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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 116 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bound — certain
  4. ground — a position
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cap — of ice
  10. face — to point toward
  11. tube — a container
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. face — to confront
  14. ground — crushed
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. tube — the underground
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bound — obliged
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bound — tied together
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. ground — the earth
  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