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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bass — low music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. vault — a safe
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. present — there
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a grade
  15. cap — of ice
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — a gift
  18. bass — the fish
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mark — a trace

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