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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. wake — a trail
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. kick — in football
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. present — the time now
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. present — a gift
  11. suit — to fit
  12. wax — to grow
  13. suit — in cards
  14. cap — a hat
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. suit — clothes
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. saw — the tool
  19. land — to come down
  20. cap — a lid
  21. present — there
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. kick — with a leg

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