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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: bear · cap · kid · leaves · craft · ball · tube · face

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. kid — child
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cap — of ice
  5. face — to confront
  6. tube — a container
  7. cap — a lid
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bear — the animal
  12. face — to point toward
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bear — the animal
  18. ball — a great time
  19. face — part of the head
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. craft — a skill
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. ball — a dance

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