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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · saw · season · rash · tube · cap

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. rash — a series
  3. tube — a container
  4. clip — a video
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. season — of the year
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. clip — for paper
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cap — of ice
  18. clip — to cut

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