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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.

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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: bore · wound · lie · bat · tube · spring · branch · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cap — a lid
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. spring — of water
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. tube — a container
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. branch — a division
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bore — to drill
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wound — an injury
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bore — gave birth

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