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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fall — to drop
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. fall — the season
  12. land — a country
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. can — a tin
  18. cap — a lid
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bark — to shout
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. cap — of ice

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