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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: dip · bore · clip · pass · face · cap · bulb · pop

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bulb — for light
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pop — to visit
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. cap — a lid
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. clip — a video
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bore — to tire
  18. dip — to sink
  19. pop — soda
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pop — music
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pass — to spend time

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