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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. degree — temperature
  6. band — a ring
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. degree — from a university
  11. cap — a lid
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. content — happy
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. band — a music group
  19. degree — an amount
  20. content — the amount
  21. vault — a safe
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. fan — a supporter

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