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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: suit · wax · cap · degree · sharp · wake · fine · hand

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. cap — of ice
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wax — to grow
  6. suit — clothes
  7. wake — a trail
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. suit — to fit
  12. cap — a hat
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. sharp — clever
  19. degree — temperature
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. degree — an amount

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