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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: mark · can · ground · cold · land · nail · wax · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. can — a tin
  6. land — to come down
  7. ground — the earth
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cap — a hat
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. cap — a lid
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. can — a tin
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. cold — an illness

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