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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. spring — of water
  3. tube — a container
  4. spring — a coil
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bound — obliged
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cap — a hat
  18. spring — the season
  19. wind — moving air
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. tube — the underground
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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