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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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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: capital · band · wax · charge · lean · rush · lie · pitcher

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  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. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — electricity
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. charge — in control
  11. lean — to bend
  12. capital — a city
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. capital — money
  15. lean — thin
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. band — a ring
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rush — a thrill
  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