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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. roll — a list
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. track — a song
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wound — an injury
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. track — a path
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. roll — a cake
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. track — to keep track
  22. cap — a lid
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cap — a hat

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