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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 124 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: pop · cap · club · tube · press · date · pitcher · bear

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. press — newspapers
  3. cap — a lid
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pop — music
  12. club — for golf
  13. press — to push
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. tube — a container
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pop — soda
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pop — to visit
  23. press — a publisher
  24. club — a group

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