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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wax — to grow
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bank — for money
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bank — for money
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. cap — a lid
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. rest — a break
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bound — obliged

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