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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cap — a lid
  4. can — a tin
  5. cap — a hat
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cap — of ice
  8. staff — employees
  9. chip — for betting
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. can — to be able to
  14. spring — of water
  15. stand — to bear
  16. can — a tin
  17. chip — to eat
  18. staff — a stick
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. staff — employees
  21. spring — the season
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — for spectators

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