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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: fall · cap · perch · wax · staff · bound · squash · can

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. staff — a stick
  3. cap — of ice
  4. can — a tin
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fall — the season
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. staff — employees
  14. can — a tin
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cap — a hat
  19. fall — to drop
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fall — to drop
  22. staff — employees
  23. bound — certain
  24. can — to be able to

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