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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cap — a lid
  5. drill — the tool
  6. spell — magic
  7. board — a committee
  8. drill — army training
  9. key — for a lock
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. spell — letters
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wax — to grow
  18. key — in music
  19. cap — a hat
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. key — the most important part
  22. spell — a short time
  23. board — to get on
  24. pound — for dogs

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