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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bear — the animal
  3. board — a committee
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. cell — in biology
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bear — the animal
  10. staff — employees
  11. board — to get on
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. staff — employees
  18. cell — a phone
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bat — for baseball

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