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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. band — a ring
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. lie — to recline
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cap — a lid
  10. clip — for paper
  11. current — happening now
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a music group
  14. clip — to cut
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. current — electric
  17. current — of water
  18. ball — a great time
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. ball — a dance
  22. clip — a video
  23. cap — a hat
  24. press — to push

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