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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. snap — to click
  3. race — a contest
  4. wax — to grow
  5. march — music
  6. cap — of ice
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cue — a signal
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. branch — a division
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. cap — a lid
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — for pool
  22. craft — boats
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. branch — of a bank

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