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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 120 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pit — in a race
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bore — to drill
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. swing — to play on
  11. pit — a hole
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. swing — in golf
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rash — hasty
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. swing — music
  22. rash — a series
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cap — of ice

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