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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.

Words on the sheet
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: root · arm · field · capital · mouse · land · lie · wax

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. root — of a word
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. capital — money
  8. land — to come down
  9. field — a subject
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. field — for sport
  13. lie — to recline
  14. field — farmland
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. root — the cause
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mouse — the animal
  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