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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
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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 · ball · capital · game · chair · stand · shower · wound

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wax — to grow
  6. shower — to wash
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. game — a match
  11. wound — an injury
  12. game — wild animals
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. capital — money
  15. chair — a leader
  16. ball — a great time
  17. shower — rain
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. capital — a city
  24. stand — on your feet

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