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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: band · ground · tube · rash · leaves · craft · pitch · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. tube — a container
  3. craft — boats
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. tube — the underground
  7. band — a ring
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. cap — of ice
  12. pitch — completely
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. ground — the earth
  15. craft — a skill
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. cap — a hat
  20. ground — crushed
  21. band — a music group
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. ground — a position
  24. rash — on the skin

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