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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. track — a path
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. fork — in a road
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. key — the most important part
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. key — in music
  16. track — to keep track
  17. key — for a lock
  18. root — of a word
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pit — in a race
  21. root — of a plant
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. track — a song
  24. root — the cause

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