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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: hide · lean · last · cap · tube · craft · snap · land

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. snap — to click
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. tube — a container
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. lean — to bend
  10. craft — a skill
  11. lean — thin
  12. last — final
  13. cap — a lid
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. craft — boats
  17. land — ground
  18. tube — the underground
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. land — to come down
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. land — a country

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