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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rock — music
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spring — a coil
  10. cap — a hat
  11. current — happening now
  12. craft — boats
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. current — electric
  15. wax — to grow
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. spring — the season
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. degree — from a university
  21. spring — of water
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cap — a lid
  24. current — of water

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