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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. lean — thin
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mark — a trace
  12. dip — to sink
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. cap — of ice
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wax — to grow
  18. mark — a grade
  19. cold — not warm
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. lean — to bend
  22. tear — to rip
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. cap — a lid

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