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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: lean · mouse · last · wax · branch · mine · capital · kid

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. last — to go on
  3. kid — child
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. lean — to bend
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. capital — money
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. lean — thin

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