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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 120 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: capital · lean · wax · coach · bore · season · hide · sharp

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. lean — thin
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. season — of the year
  6. wax — to grow
  7. season — in sport
  8. bore — to drill
  9. capital — a city
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. capital — money
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bore — to tire
  24. season — to add flavour

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