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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cap — of ice
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. cap — a lid
  6. capital — money
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. capital — a city
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rest — what's left
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. net — after costs
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cap — a hat

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