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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: plane · bore · content · spring · tube · temple · cap · track

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. spring — of water
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cap — of ice
  5. tube — a container
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cap — a lid
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a song
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. track — a path
  13. spring — the season
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. content — the amount
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. spring — a coil
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — happy
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cap — a hat

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