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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. cap — of ice
  2. mate — a partner
  3. band — a ring
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a skill
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mate — a friend
  8. band — a music group
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bass — low music
  13. wax — to grow
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mate — to breed
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cap — a hat
  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