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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.

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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: band · spring · spell · track · hide · lie · capital · wax

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. track — to keep track
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. spring — of water
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spell — a short time
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. spell — magic
  13. capital — a city
  14. band — a ring
  15. track — a song
  16. band — a music group
  17. track — a path
  18. spring — the season
  19. lie — to recline
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. spell — letters

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