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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: wax · clip · board · object · cap · capital · pass · pound

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. capital — a city
  4. object — to protest
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — to get on
  7. cap — of ice
  8. board — a committee
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — a thing
  20. cap — a hat
  21. pass — a permit
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. capital — money
  24. cap — a lid

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