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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mate — to breed
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. tube — a container
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wake — a trail
  16. land — ground
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. sharp — clever
  20. land — a country
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. tube — the underground
  23. land — to come down
  24. wake — before a funeral

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