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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mate — to breed
  4. season — of the year
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cap — a hat
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. season — in sport
  10. mate — a friend
  11. field — a subject
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. spell — a short time
  17. wax — to grow
  18. field — for sport
  19. spell — letters
  20. field — farmland
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mate — a partner
  23. cap — a lid
  24. spell — magic

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