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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cap — of ice
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. cap — a hat
  7. clip — for paper
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. clip — a video
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. track — a song
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. track — a path
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. clip — to cut
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. track — to keep track

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