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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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468
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: lie · wax · content · capital · pitcher · kid · swing · cabinet

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wax — to grow
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. swing — to play on
  11. content — happy
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. swing — music
  14. capital — money
  15. content — the amount
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. lie — an untruth

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