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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. tear — to rip
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mug — a cup
  6. cap — a hat
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. can — to be able to
  9. band — a music group
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mug — to rob
  12. can — a tin
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cap — a lid
  15. mug — a face
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. cap — of ice
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wax — to grow
  20. can — a tin
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. tear — from crying
  23. band — a ring
  24. perch — the fish

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