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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: fall · hide · hand · capital · wax · cell · mug · land

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mug — a cup
  3. fall — to drop
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fall — to drop
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fall — the season
  11. land — to come down
  12. capital — money
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cell — a phone
  15. capital — a city
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. wax — to grow
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — to rob
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — help
  24. cell — in biology

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