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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: wound · cap · calf · wax · capital · face · hide · band

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. capital — a city
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. band — a ring
  6. face — to point toward
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wax — to grow
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. capital — money
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wound — an injury
  19. face — to confront
  20. band — a music group
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. hide — animal skin

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