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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 120 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: lie · race · wax · capital · pound · drill · calf · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. drill — a practice
  5. capital — a city
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. race — a contest
  10. pound — a weight
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. lie — to recline
  15. drill — the tool
  16. race — humankind
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. drill — army training
  22. wax — to grow
  23. capital — money
  24. lie — an untruth

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