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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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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: fine · cap · cold · tear · fall · root · swing · wax

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wax — to grow
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. tear — to rip
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fall — the season
  15. cap — a hat
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cold — not warm
  23. fine — all right
  24. swing — in golf

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