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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: capital · mug · kid · chest · bore · wax · lie · shower

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. capital — money
  5. bore — to tire
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chest — of your body
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. kid — to tease
  11. wax — to grow
  12. lie — to recline
  13. chest — a box
  14. shower — rain
  15. bore — to drill
  16. mug — a face
  17. capital — a city
  18. chest — of your body
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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