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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: pitcher · wake · wound · lean · nail · chip · wax · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. lean — thin
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wound — an injury
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. capital — money
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. capital — a city
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. chip — for betting
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. lean — to bend
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pitcher — a jug

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