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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: cap · track · tube · hide · bark · snap · march · bulb

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. cap — a hat
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bulb — for light
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bark — to shout
  8. tube — a container
  9. track — a path
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bulb — for light
  12. march — music
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. track — a song
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. march — the month
  18. snap — to click
  19. march — the month
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. track — to keep track
  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