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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: craft · rash · lie · content · tube · mine · sharp · cap

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. cap — of ice
  3. tube — the underground
  4. content — happy
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. tube — a container
  7. rash — hasty
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. cap — a lid
  13. craft — a skill
  14. rash — a series
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. content — the amount
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. cap — a hat
  20. craft — boats
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mine — for digging

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