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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. track — a song
  2. cap — of ice
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. last — to go on
  7. wax — to grow
  8. last — final
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. rule — a law
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cap — a hat
  18. track — a path
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rule — government
  21. last — finally
  22. craft — boats
  23. track — to keep track
  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