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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 120 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
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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: drill · pop · cue · capital · wax · snap · mine · bear

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mine — for digging
  3. capital — money
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wax — to grow
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bear — the animal
  9. snap — to click
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. drill — army training
  14. pop — music
  15. cue — a signal
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pop — soda
  18. drill — the tool
  19. cue — for pool
  20. capital — a city
  21. bear — the animal
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. capital — a big letter

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