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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.

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: wax · cue · spell · hide · chair · face · cap · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. cap — a hat
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cue — for pool
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wax — to grow
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. face — to confront
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. chair — a leader
  15. spell — letters
  16. face — to point toward
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. capital — money
  24. wax — for sculpting

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