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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: deal · bat · wind · bore · can · tube · bark · cap

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. tube — a container
  6. can — a tin
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bore — to tire
  9. can — a tin
  10. tube — the underground
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bark — to shout
  24. can — to be able to

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