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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. pit — in a race
  3. cap — a lid
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cue — a hint
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bass — low music
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cue — a signal
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. cue — for pool
  22. scale — in music
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. cap — of ice

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