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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. object — a thing
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. object — to protest
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bat — the animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. object — an aim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. toast — bread
  17. stock — shares
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cap — of ice
  24. stock — goods

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