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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: land · pop · bank · capital · pitch · wax · hide · patient

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. capital — a city
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. land — ground
  6. capital — money
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pop — music
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — completely
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bank — for money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. pop — soda
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. land — a country
  23. wax — to grow
  24. land — to come down

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