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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: spell · face · spring · tube · fork · ball · cap · file

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a lid
  3. ball — a great time
  4. tube — a container
  5. fork — in a road
  6. ball — a dance
  7. spring — a coil
  8. face — to confront
  9. spell — magic
  10. cap — a hat
  11. spell — a short time
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. spring — the season
  18. file — a line of people
  19. spring — of water
  20. file — a tool
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. file — a document
  24. spell — letters

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