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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. cell — in biology
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cap — a hat
  7. last — final
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. shower — rain
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. shower — to wash
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cap — a lid
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. last — to go on
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cue — for pool
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wax — to grow
  24. last — finally

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