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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: saw · mark · straw · tear · stand · cap · mouse · wax

  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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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. cap — a lid
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mark — a grade
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wax — to grow
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. tear — from crying
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — to bear
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. stand — for spectators

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