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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: rush · clip · cap · tube · rock · wake · craft · spell

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. rush — hurry
  4. spell — magic
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cap — of ice
  10. clip — to cut
  11. spell — letters
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rock — a stone
  15. clip — a video
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. rock — music
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a skill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. cap — a hat
  24. tube — a container

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