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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wax — to grow
  4. court — of a king
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. pop — music
  8. cue — for pool
  9. file — a tool
  10. court — for sport
  11. bank — of a river
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. file — a line of people
  15. cue — a hint
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cue — a signal
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. file — a document
  21. pop — soda
  22. court — of law
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wax — for sculpting

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