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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. field — for sport
  5. drill — a practice
  6. field — farmland
  7. wax — to grow
  8. drill — army training
  9. mug — to rob
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. field — a subject
  13. last — finally
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. last — to go on
  18. mug — a cup
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. last — final
  22. mug — a face
  23. deal — to handle
  24. cap — of ice

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