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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spring · saw · tube · rash · plane · hide · chip · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. saw — the tool
  4. tube — the underground
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cap — of ice
  7. chip — for betting
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. spring — of water
  10. cap — a lid
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rash — a series
  14. chip — to eat
  15. tube — a container
  16. spring — the season
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. spring — a coil
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. saw — the tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. plane — a tool

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