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

Word bank: mate · cell · wax · track · toast · lean · bay · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — bread
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mate — a friend
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. wax — to grow
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. track — a song
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. lean — thin
  19. cap — a hat
  20. track — to keep track
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. track — a path
  24. lean — to rest against

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