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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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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 · bay · pound · face · band · stick · tube · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pound — a weight
  5. tube — a container
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cap — of ice
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bore — to tire
  14. face — to confront
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. band — a ring
  17. face — part of the head
  18. band — a music group
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cap — a lid
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — for dogs

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