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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: cap · mouse · toast · lash · wax · firm · cabinet · rash

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. firm — steady
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. rash — hasty
  7. toast — bread
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — a series
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. firm — decided
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. firm — a company

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