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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 120 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cap — a hat
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pop — music
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pop — to visit
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. field — for sport
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pop — soda
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. field — farmland
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. field — a subject

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