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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: cap · shower · press · tube · plane · capital · can · rock

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rock — music
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. tube — the underground
  5. shower — to wash
  6. plane — a tool
  7. can — to be able to
  8. capital — money
  9. press — newspapers
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. cap — a hat
  12. press — a publisher
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. shower — rain
  16. capital — a city
  17. cap — of ice
  18. press — to push
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cap — a lid
  21. tube — a container
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — a stone
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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