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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: wax · capital · pound · bear · spell · rule · rash · kid

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. rule — government
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rule — a law
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. capital — money
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. spell — letters
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wax — to grow
  21. kid — child
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. spell — magic
  24. wax — for sculpting

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