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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.

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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: capital · clip · sharp · pound · wax · mark · hide · tube

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. capital — money
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. sharp — clever
  12. tube — a container
  13. clip — to cut
  14. tube — the underground
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wax — to grow
  24. mark — a trace

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