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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 120 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: wax · track · chest · cap · stand · club · bulb · snap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. track — to keep track
  7. chest — a box
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bulb — for light
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. track — a path
  12. track — a song
  13. club — for golf
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. club — a group
  17. snap — to click
  18. stand — to bear
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. club — for dancing

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