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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. perch — the fish
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. vault — a safe
  8. race — humankind
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. field — a subject
  11. bass — the fish
  12. race — a contest
  13. wax — to grow
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bass — low music
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cap — of ice
  20. field — for sport
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. race — the arms race
  24. field — farmland

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