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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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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 · fall · bowl · wax · hand · temple · board · pound

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. pound — a weight
  5. fall — to drop
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. capital — a city
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. fall — the season
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. hand — help
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. board — to get on
  16. capital — money
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. board — a committee
  24. pound — for dogs

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