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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: kid · leaves · spell · content · lash · mine · wax · capital

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. capital — a city
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wax — to grow
  15. content — happy
  16. spell — letters
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mine — for digging
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. kid — to tease
  22. content — the amount
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. leaves — of a tree

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