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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: bay · capital · game · wax · wind · mouse · drill · bank

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. bank — for money
  7. drill — the tool
  8. game — a match
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bank — of a river
  13. drill — a practice
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. game — wild animals
  17. drill — army training
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bank — for money
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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