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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. field — farmland
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. field — a subject
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — a hole
  8. cap — of ice
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bass — low music
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pit — in a race
  15. fall — the season
  16. bass — the fish
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. lean — thin
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. field — for sport
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wax — to grow
  24. cap — a lid

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