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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 116 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. band — a ring
  4. root — of a plant
  5. key — the most important part
  6. land — a country
  7. key — in music
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cap — a lid
  14. fall — the season
  15. land — to come down
  16. band — a music group
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. land — ground
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wax — to grow
  24. key — for a lock

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