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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: cap · wax · ground · mug · capital · current · rule · band

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. mug — a cup
  3. rule — government
  4. band — a music group
  5. ground — crushed
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mug — a face
  9. current — of water
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. current — happening now
  12. ground — a position
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rule — a law
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. current — electric
  17. band — a ring
  18. capital — money
  19. cap — a lid
  20. capital — a city
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. mug — to rob
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — in the ear

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