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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cap — a hat
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. march — the month
  13. bulb — for light
  14. march — the month
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. hand — in cards
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. march — music

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