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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.

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: straw · capital · snap · rush · lie · suit · march · wax

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. march — the month
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. march — the month
  11. suit — in cards
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wax — to grow
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. suit — to fit
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. lie — to recline
  18. capital — money
  19. snap — to click
  20. march — music
  21. rush — hurry
  22. capital — a city
  23. suit — clothes
  24. straw — a straw man

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