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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: spring · tube · safe · clip · band · cap · patient · season

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cap — of ice
  7. tube — the underground
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. band — a music group
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. clip — a video
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cap — a lid
  16. season — of the year
  17. cap — a hat
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. clip — for paper
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. season — in sport
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. band — a ring

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