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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: mark · rest · wind · date · land · wax · lie · capital

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. land — a country
  5. rest — what's left
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. land — to come down
  9. mark — a grade
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — money
  12. date — the fruit
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wind — moving air
  18. capital — a city
  19. land — ground
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wind — moving air
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wind — to turn a key

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