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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  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. wave — with your hand
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. prune — to trim
  9. board — to get on
  10. cap — of ice
  11. field — for sport
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. field — farmland
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. wax — to grow
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth
  19. field — a subject
  20. ground — a position
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bass — low music
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  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