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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 124 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cap — a hat
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wax — to grow
  7. cap — a lid
  8. craft — boats
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. can — a tin
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. can — a tin
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cap — of ice
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cold — the Cold War

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