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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: wax · capital · deal · bound · mate · cap · fork · rule

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. cap — a lid
  3. fork — in a road
  4. capital — money
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rule — a law
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bound — tied together
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mate — a partner
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bound — obliged
  14. mate — to breed
  15. capital — a city
  16. bound — certain
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. rule — government
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. deal — an agreement

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