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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: bowl · bear · cabinet · perch · hand · root · cap · tube

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cap — of ice
  4. root — of a plant
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. root — the cause
  7. hand — help
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. tube — a container
  11. bear — the animal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. tube — the underground
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. root — of a word
  24. bowl — a football final

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