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

Word bank: cap · wax · net · stand · tear · chip · foot · row

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. net — after costs
  6. tear — to rip
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. tear — from crying
  10. net — for catching
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. cap — a hat
  13. chip — to eat
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cap — of ice
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. net — in sport
  19. row — to paddle
  20. stand — to bear
  21. chip — for betting
  22. row — a line
  23. cap — a lid
  24. tear — from crying

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