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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cold — an illness
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cold — not warm
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. can — a tin
  8. craft — a skill
  9. drill — army training
  10. craft — boats
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. season — in sport
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. season — of the year
  24. drill — a practice

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