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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: fine · land · bat · wake · rest · cap · ruler · wax

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bat — the animal
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. land — a country
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fine — all right
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. wake — a trail
  24. ruler — a monarch

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