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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. court — of law
  3. lie — to recline
  4. cap — a lid
  5. board — to get on
  6. wax — to grow
  7. scale — in music
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. spring — the season
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. board — a committee
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wind — moving air
  18. court — of a king
  19. spring — a coil
  20. court — for sport
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. spring — of water
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cap — a hat

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