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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: cue · rock · cap · tube · temple · snap · spring · object

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. object — to protest
  5. tube — the underground
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rock — a stone
  8. cap — of ice
  9. tube — a container
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. rock — music
  13. cap — a hat
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — for pool
  18. object — a thing
  19. cue — a signal
  20. snap — to click
  21. object — an aim
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. tube — in a tire

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