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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: nail · hide · jam · lash · tear · cap · tube · face

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tear — from crying
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. tube — a container
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. tube — the underground
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cap — a lid
  12. face — to confront
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. face — part of the head
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tear — from crying
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. tear — to rip

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