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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. track — a song
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cap — of ice
  9. land — a country
  10. cap — a lid
  11. shower — to wash
  12. squash — to crush
  13. track — to keep track
  14. land — to come down
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. cap — a hat
  19. track — a path
  20. shower — rain
  21. land — ground
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wax — to grow
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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