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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: cap · dip · chair · present · tube · mark · bark · wind

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. mark — a trace
  8. chair — a leader
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. tube — a container
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. tube — the underground
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cap — of ice
  16. dip — to sink
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — there
  19. cap — a lid
  20. present — the time now
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bark — to shout
  24. wind — to turn a key

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