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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 116 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. band — a ring
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. band — a music group
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cap — a lid
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. field — farmland
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. field — for sport
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. field — a subject
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. wax — to grow
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a grade

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