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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. suit — clothes
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. hand — in cards
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wax — to grow
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. spring — of water
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. suit — to fit
  14. tear — from crying
  15. scale — in music
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pit — in a race
  18. scale — size or range
  19. pit — a hole
  20. hand — help
  21. suit — in cards
  22. tear — from crying
  23. spring — the season
  24. wax — in the ear

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