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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: ground · clip · chip · face · suit · wax · cap · wake

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wax — to grow
  4. clip — a video
  5. ground — a position
  6. suit — in cards
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. face — to confront
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cap — a lid
  12. clip — to cut
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. suit — to fit
  15. ground — crushed
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cap — of ice
  23. ground — the earth
  24. suit — clothes

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