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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: wax · pitch · capital · mug · tube · ground · hide · mine

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. capital — a city
  3. tube — a container
  4. ground — a position
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — to rob
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. ground — crushed
  18. mine — for digging
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wax — to grow
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pitch — completely

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