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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. present — there
  4. track — to keep track
  5. band — a music group
  6. plane — a tool
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. cap — of ice
  10. row — a line
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. row — to paddle
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. band — a ring
  18. present — a gift
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. cap — a lid
  24. present — the time now

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