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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: dip · capital · roll · staff · tube · bulb · hide · date

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. capital — a city
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bulb — for light
  15. dip — to sink
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. capital — money
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bulb — for light
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. staff — employees
  24. roll — a list

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