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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. spring — the season
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stand — to bear
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cap — a lid
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cap — of ice
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. staff — a stick
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. scale — size or range
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. staff — employees

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