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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cap — a lid
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rest — a break
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. rest — what's left
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bark — to shout
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. mine — belonging to me

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