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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lie · saw · track · dip · cold · cap · wax · stem

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. track — a path
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cap — of ice
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. track — a song
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. track — to keep track
  18. cap — a hat
  19. lie — to recline
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cold — not warm
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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