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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: content · rule · wound · wax · cap · bear · saw · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — a law
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wax — to grow
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. content — happy
  14. cap — of ice
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bear — the animal
  21. content — the amount
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rule — government

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