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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. shower — rain
  6. object — a thing
  7. cap — a lid
  8. shower — to wash
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cap — a hat
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bass — low music
  13. board — a committee
  14. cap — of ice
  15. field — for sport
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. field — farmland
  18. board — to get on
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — to protest
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wax — to grow
  24. field — a subject

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