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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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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: tube · wind · cap · bear · cell · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. wind — moving air
  10. tube — a container
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bear — the animal
  18. hide — animal skin

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