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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. wake — a trail
  4. court — of a king
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bound — certain
  12. court — for sport
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. court — of law
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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