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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. file — a tool
  3. bass — low music
  4. charge — in control
  5. cap — a hat
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. charge — a price
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. cap — of ice
  16. plane — a tool
  17. wax — to grow
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. charge — electricity
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bass — the fish
  24. branch — a division

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