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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fall — the season
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pop — soda
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pop — music
  16. scale — in music
  17. wax — to grow
  18. scale — size or range
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pop — to visit
  24. fall — to drop

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