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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. swing — to play on
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. swing — in golf
  6. saw — the tool
  7. root — of a word
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. present — there
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wax — to grow
  14. swing — music
  15. present — a gift
  16. cap — of ice
  17. root — of a plant
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cap — a lid
  20. sharp — clever
  21. root — the cause
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. present — the time now
  24. saw — the tool

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