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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · cap · spell · bear · sharp · fall · rock · wax

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rock — music
  4. fall — the season
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wax — to grow
  9. spell — letters
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. kick — in football
  15. sharp — clever
  16. spell — magic
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bear — the animal

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