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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 124 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. wax — to grow
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. content — happy
  9. stock — shares
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fine — high quality
  17. stock — goods
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mine — for digging
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. leaves — to go away

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