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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 120 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 · face · nail · row · bulb · chip · dip · spring

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. chip — to eat
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cap — a hat
  11. face — part of the head
  12. chip — for betting
  13. dip — to sink
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. face — to confront
  16. row — a line
  17. cap — of ice
  18. spring — of water
  19. bulb — for light
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. row — to paddle
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bulb — for light
  24. spring — the season

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