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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · wax · bat · bowl · cap · leaves · spring · spell

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. file — a document
  9. spell — a short time
  10. file — a line of people
  11. spell — letters
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. spell — magic
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. file — a tool
  20. spring — the season
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. spring — of water
  24. bat — the animal

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