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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 124 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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. wax — to grow
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. cap — a lid
  6. press — newspapers
  7. field — farmland
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. clip — a video
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. cell — in biology
  15. clip — to cut
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. clip — for paper
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. press — to push

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