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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: cap · land · bark · sharp · wake · wax · mouse · jam

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. land — a country
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. land — ground
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wax — to grow
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. land — to come down
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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