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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. suit — in cards
  5. object — an aim
  6. lean — to bend
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wax — to grow
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. suit — clothes
  16. object — a thing
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. suit — to fit
  19. cap — a lid
  20. lean — thin
  21. object — to protest
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. capital — money
  24. bat — for baseball

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