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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cap — a hat
  4. dip — to sink
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cap — of ice
  7. lean — thin
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. lean — to bend
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — to grow
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cell — a phone
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. nail — for a hammer

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