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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 120 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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. drill — the tool
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wax — to grow
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. tear — to rip
  11. clip — to cut
  12. lean — thin
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. clip — a video
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cap — a hat
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. drill — army training
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bulb — for light
  24. clip — for paper

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