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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 116 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: bark · cue · mouse · lean · mine · rush · capital · wax

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cue — a hint
  9. capital — money
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. capital — a city
  13. mine — for digging
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. cue — for pool
  18. rush — hurry
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. lean — thin
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. mouse — the animal

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