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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 116 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. file — a tool
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. pit — in a race
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bank — for money
  13. file — a document
  14. wax — to grow
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pit — a hole
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — boats
  20. band — a music group
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. file — a line of people
  24. band — a ring

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