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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 · wake · rush · tube · straw · cabinet · ground · mug

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. mug — a face
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. ground — a position
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mug — to rob
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cap — of ice
  21. mug — a cup
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. cap — a lid

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