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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. present — a gift
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pop — music
  9. present — there
  10. present — the time now
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pop — soda
  14. plane — a tool
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. land — ground
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. plane — an aircraft

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