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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. cap — a hat
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. can — a tin
  7. scale — in music
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. can — to be able to
  10. club — for golf
  11. lean — to bend
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rash — a series
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. can — a tin
  19. wax — to grow
  20. lean — thin
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. club — a group
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rash — on the skin

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