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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 120 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 best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. swing — music
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. wind — moving air
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bore — to tire
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. swing — to play on
  19. file — a document
  20. swing — in golf
  21. file — a tool
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bore — to drill

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