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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: cabinet · can · cap · staff · bass · spring · hand · racket

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. staff — employees
  3. can — to be able to
  4. hand — help
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. staff — a stick
  7. cap — a lid
  8. hand — in cards
  9. staff — employees
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. can — a tin
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. can — a tin
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. spring — a coil

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