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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mate — a friend
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rule — government
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wind — moving air
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. rock — music
  14. cap — a lid
  15. mate — to breed
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rule — a law
  22. mate — a partner
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rule — to rule out

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