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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 124 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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. squash — to crush
  5. cap — of ice
  6. net — for catching
  7. dip — to sink
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — a hat
  12. squash — the sport
  13. net — in sport
  14. stand — to bear
  15. net — after costs
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. field — farmland
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wax — for sculpting

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