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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: coach · bulb · jam · dip · field · can · cap · kid

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. kid — to tease
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. cap — a hat
  6. field — for sport
  7. bulb — for light
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. field — farmland
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. can — a tin
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. can — a tin
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. dip — to sink
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. kid — child
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bulb — for light
  21. can — to be able to
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. field — a subject
  24. cap — a lid

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