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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: land · tube · club · cap · net · spring · cabinet · jam

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. land — to come down
  3. net — after costs
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cap — a lid
  6. club — for dancing
  7. land — a country
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for golf
  10. cap — a hat
  11. spring — a coil
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. land — ground
  16. spring — of water
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spring — the season

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