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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.

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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: capital · band · trunk · calf · rest · dip · wax · mug

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mug — a cup
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. mug — a face
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rest — a break
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. rest — what's left
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. band — a ring
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. capital — a city
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rest — what's left
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. dip — a sauce

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