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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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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: band · wax · roll · cue · capital · race · bay · cabinet

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. race — the arms race
  4. band — a music group
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. band — a ring
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. cue — a signal
  9. race — humankind
  10. roll — a cake
  11. capital — money
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. capital — a city
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. race — a contest
  21. wax — to grow
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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