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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: branch · tube · drill · cap · can · lie · spring · club

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. spring — the season
  5. can — a tin
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cap — a lid
  8. can — to be able to
  9. spring — of water
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cap — a hat
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. lie — to recline
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. can — a tin
  17. cap — of ice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. club — for golf
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for dancing
  23. tube — a container
  24. spring — a coil

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