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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: wake · wax · ground · mine · hide · cap · mark · pitch

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. ground — crushed
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mark — a trace
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wax — to grow
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. ground — a position
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pitch — completely

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