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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: straw · perch · wax · cap · dip · content · drill · bank

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. drill — a practice
  5. perch — the fish
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. dip — to sink
  8. cap — a lid
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. content — the amount
  11. cap — of ice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. drill — army training
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. content — happy
  17. bank — for money
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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