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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. clip — to cut
  3. scale — size or range
  4. stock — shares
  5. clip — a video
  6. cap — of ice
  7. stock — goods
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. scale — in music
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cap — a lid
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. clip — for paper
  17. deal — to handle
  18. wax — to grow
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. stock — a soup base

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