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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: board · race · wax · capital · deal · hide

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. capital — money
  5. deal — to handle
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. race — humankind
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. board — a committee
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. capital — a city
  18. deal — a big deal

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