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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 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. net — after costs
  4. wax — to grow
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. chip — to eat
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cap — a lid
  14. net — in sport
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. net — for catching
  22. chip — for betting
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cap — of ice

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