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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. cap — of ice
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. staff — employees
  6. cap — a hat
  7. band — a ring
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bound — certain
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cap — a lid
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. staff — a stick
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. staff — employees
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. ground — a position
  24. tube — the underground

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