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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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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: lie · rule · bass · mate · capital · rush · pitcher · wax

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bass — low music
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. mate — a friend
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bass — the fish
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rule — a law
  17. capital — a city
  18. rule — government
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. capital — money
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. lie — an untruth

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