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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — to protest
  4. club — a group
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — a phone
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rash — hasty
  13. cap — a hat
  14. object — a thing
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. club — for golf
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. club — for dancing
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. rash — a series
  24. cap — a lid

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