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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: scale · tube · lash · present · season · pop · cap · ball

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. cap — of ice
  3. season — in sport
  4. present — the time now
  5. cap — a hat
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pop — to visit
  9. present — there
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. scale — size or range
  13. present — a gift
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. ball — a dance
  18. pop — soda
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pop — music
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a round shape

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