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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: capital · bass · ground · cell · mug · wax · bulb · calf

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mug — a face
  5. cell — a phone
  6. ground — the earth
  7. capital — a city
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bulb — for light
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. ground — a position
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. capital — money
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bass — low music
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. ground — crushed

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