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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: cabinet · squash · tube · face · branch · spring · staff · cap

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cap — of ice
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. cap — a hat
  7. tube — a container
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. staff — employees
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. face — part of the head
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. staff — employees
  17. squash — the sport
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. tube — the underground
  21. staff — a stick
  22. squash — to crush
  23. face — to confront
  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