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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. march — the month
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. land — to come down
  17. bulb — for light
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. land — ground
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. land — a country
  24. bulb — of a plant

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