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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: cabinet · bass · hide · kid · wax · lash · lie · capital

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. capital — a city
  6. kid — child
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. capital — money
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  24. kid — to tease

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