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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mine — for digging
  8. root — the cause
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stock — goods
  11. cap — of ice
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bear — the animal
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — steady
  16. root — of a word
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fall — the season
  22. firm — a company
  23. stock — shares
  24. cap — a lid

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