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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: stand · sharp · cap · cell · mouse · wax · kick · wave

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. kick — in football
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. wax — to grow
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cell — a phone
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cap — a lid
  21. sharp — clever
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. stand — to bear

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