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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: cap · mate · perch · cold · temple · stick · track · wax

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cold — not warm
  3. perch — the fish
  4. track — a path
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cold — an illness
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cap — a lid
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. wax — to grow
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. cap — a hat
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mate — to breed
  24. track — a song

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