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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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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: wax · capital · club · kid · press · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — to push
  5. club — for dancing
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. suit — in cards
  9. club — a group
  10. wax — to grow
  11. suit — to fit
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. capital — a city
  15. club — for golf
  16. kid — child
  17. press — a publisher
  18. kid — to tease

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