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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. cap — a lid
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. spring — of water
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wax — to grow
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cap — of ice
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bear — the animal
  18. spring — the season
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. cap — a hat
  23. roll — a list
  24. ball — a great time

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