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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.

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: temple · lie · pitch · wax · fan · capital · march · lean

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. capital — money
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. lean — to bend
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. march — the month
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. march — the month
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pitch — completely
  21. capital — a city
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lean — thin
  24. march — music

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