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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 116 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: ground · rash · tear · mate · leaves · hide · wax · capital

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mate — a friend
  4. ground — the earth
  5. capital — a city
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. tear — from crying
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. tear — from crying
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. wax — to grow
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. ground — crushed
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mate — a partner
  19. ground — a position
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. capital — money
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mate — to breed

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