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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. firm — decided
  5. court — of a king
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. cap — a lid
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. firm — steady
  13. root — of a word
  14. court — for sport
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cap — a hat
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. court — of law
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a plant
  24. firm — a company

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