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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bank — for money
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bank — of a river
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cell — a phone
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cell — in biology
  15. wax — to grow
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bank — for money
  18. track — to keep track
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cap — a hat
  21. track — a song
  22. track — a path
  23. cap — a lid
  24. mine — belonging to me

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