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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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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: bark · tube · can · cap · rest · hand · land · face

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cap — a hat
  3. tube — a container
  4. land — to come down
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. can — to be able to
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. can — a tin
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — to confront
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. land — a country
  16. rest — a break
  17. hand — in cards
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bark — to shout
  21. can — a tin
  22. hand — help
  23. cap — a lid
  24. face — part of the head

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