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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.

Make a worksheet

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: capital · rest · root · hide · wax · spell · land · game

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. land — ground
  4. rest — what's left
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. root — of a plant
  7. game — a match
  8. land — a country
  9. capital — money
  10. rest — a break
  11. spell — letters
  12. root — the cause
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. root — of a word
  17. spell — a short time
  18. capital — a city
  19. land — to come down
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. spell — magic
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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