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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 · wax · pit · face · leaves · bay · fall · kick

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. kick — in football
  8. pit — in a race
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. face — to point toward
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. capital — a city
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. capital — money
  17. fall — the season
  18. wax — to grow
  19. face — part of the head
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. face — to confront
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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