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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. branch — a division
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. press — to push
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. press — newspapers
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. bore — to tire
  12. field — a subject
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wax — to grow
  16. deal — to handle
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bore — to drill
  19. press — a publisher
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wax — in the ear

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