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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: snap · cap · spell · rock · bat · wake · tube · lie

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bat — the animal
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. lie — to recline
  9. wake — a trail
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rock — music
  12. spell — letters
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. snap — to click
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. spell — magic
  21. cap — a lid
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. cap — of ice

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