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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: tube · foot · press · pop · band · cabinet · cap · saw

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. tube — the underground
  5. saw — the tool
  6. tube — a container
  7. band — a music group
  8. saw — the tool
  9. press — a publisher
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. press — newspapers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. press — to push
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cap — a lid
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. foot — a measure
  24. tube — in a tire

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