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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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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: rest · firm · file · can · wax · snap · cap · tear

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cap — a hat
  5. firm — decided
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. rest — a break
  8. file — a document
  9. firm — steady
  10. cap — of ice
  11. wax — to grow
  12. can — a tin
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. can — to be able to
  16. firm — a company
  17. file — a line of people
  18. can — a tin
  19. tear — to rip
  20. snap — to click
  21. tear — from crying
  22. file — a tool
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cap — a lid

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