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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: current · wax · suit · can · tear · cap · mug · perch

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cap — a hat
  3. current — electric
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. can — a tin
  7. current — of water
  8. tear — to rip
  9. suit — in cards
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mug — a face
  12. wax — to grow
  13. current — happening now
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. suit — clothes
  17. can — a tin
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. can — to be able to
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cap — of ice
  24. suit — to fit

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