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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: ground · object · leaves · sharp · board · capital · wax · wind

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. object — to protest
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wax — to grow
  6. ground — crushed
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. object — a thing
  11. ground — a position
  12. board — to get on
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. board — a committee
  15. ground — the earth
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. sharp — clever
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. wind — moving air
  23. object — an aim
  24. capital — a city

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