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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 116 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: mine · rest · dip · race · capital · wax · staff · calf

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. race — a contest
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. capital — money
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. staff — a stick
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wax — to grow
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. staff — employees
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rest — a break
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. capital — a city
  22. rest — what's left
  23. staff — employees
  24. dip — to sink

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