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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 120 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. pop — soda
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. cap — of ice
  6. clip — a video
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mate — a partner
  13. file — a tool
  14. spell — a short time
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pop — music
  20. mate — a friend
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. cap — a hat

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