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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: lie · current · hand · capital · sharp · press · wax · band

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. band — a music group
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. press — to push
  6. band — a ring
  7. press — a publisher
  8. lie — to recline
  9. current — of water
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. hand — in cards
  12. sharp — clever
  13. hand — help
  14. wax — to grow
  15. capital — money
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. capital — a city
  21. press — newspapers
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. lie — an untruth

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