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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bay · wax · spring · sharp · cap · pound · snap · current

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. spring — a coil
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. snap — to click
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. current — happening now
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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