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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
468
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: cap · wax · file · stand · ball · cell · saw · prune

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. prune — to trim
  11. file — a document
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. file — a line of people
  14. saw — the tool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cap — a lid
  17. stand — to bear
  18. cell — in biology
  19. file — a tool
  20. wax — to grow
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. saw — the tool

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