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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: cap · tube · snap · ground · face · bulb · bay · rash

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. cap — of ice
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cap — a hat
  9. ground — a position
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. snap — to click
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cap — a lid
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rash — a series
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rash — hasty

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