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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. kick — in football
  7. tube — the underground
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. tube — a container
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bound — certain
  14. rush — hurry
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bound — obliged
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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