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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. cap — of ice
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. game — wild animals
  9. wax — to grow
  10. season — of the year
  11. lie — to recline
  12. season — in sport
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. cap — a hat
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. can — to be able to
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wake — a trail
  19. snap — to click
  20. game — a match
  21. can — a tin
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cap — a lid

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