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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 116 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: capital · stand · cabinet · leaves · kid · bear · fork · wax

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. capital — money
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. kid — child
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. stand — to bear
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. capital — a city
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. kid — to tease
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. stand — for spectators

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