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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. cap — of ice
  5. tube — a container
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bulb — for light
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cap — a lid
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. cell — in biology
  14. pop — to visit
  15. plane — a tool
  16. cell — a phone
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. lean — thin
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — music

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