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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wax — to grow
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bear — the animal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. swing — in golf

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