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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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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: bay · rest · tube · mate · temple · cap · pop · spring

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rest — what's left
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. spring — the season
  6. pop — soda
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mate — a friend
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. tube — a container
  12. cap — of ice
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rest — a break
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. pop — music
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pop — to visit
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. spring — of water
  24. rest — what's left

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