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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cap — a lid
  9. wax — to grow
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. fork — in a road
  13. cap — a hat
  14. game — a match
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. net — after costs
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. net — in sport
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. net — for catching
  23. bark — to shout
  24. game — wild animals

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