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

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. hand — help
  5. cap — a lid
  6. season — in sport
  7. ground — the earth
  8. wake — a trail
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. root — of a word
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. root — of a plant
  17. ground — a position
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. root — the cause
  21. cap — of ice
  22. season — of the year
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cap — a hat

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