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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. cap — of ice
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bark — to shout
  13. can — a tin
  14. cap — a lid
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cap — a hat
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. lean — thin

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