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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: sharp · lash · capital · bore · bass · kid · wax · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. wax — to grow
  4. capital — a city
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bass — low music
  10. kid — child
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pop — music
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bore — to tire

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