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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stand — to bear
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. march — music
  10. staff — a stick
  11. cap — of ice
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to sink
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. march — the month
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. march — the month
  19. wax — to grow
  20. staff — employees
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. saw — the tool
  23. staff — employees
  24. stand — on your feet

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