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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 116 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 · bowl · capital · hide · shower · board · cap · bore

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. capital — a city
  3. board — to get on
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. cap — of ice
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. board — a committee
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. wax — to grow
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. capital — money
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cap — a hat

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