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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 116 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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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: spring · cue · stick · cap · degree · bay · tube · trunk

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. tube — a container
  3. spring — of water
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. degree — temperature
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. cap — a hat
  9. spring — a coil
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cue — a signal
  17. spring — the season
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cap — a lid
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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