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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: capital · wax · dip · fall · bound · trunk · sharp · game

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. wax — to grow
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. fall — to drop
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bound — obliged
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fall — to drop
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. capital — money
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. game — wild animals
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. fall — the season
  16. sharp — clever
  17. capital — a city
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. game — a match
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bound — certain
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wax — in the ear

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