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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bore — to tire
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bore — to drill
  9. file — a line of people
  10. key — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. spring — the season
  13. cap — of ice
  14. file — a tool
  15. bass — low music
  16. wax — to grow
  17. spring — a coil
  18. file — a document
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. spring — of water
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. key — the most important part
  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