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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 · coach · wax · swing · deal · degree

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. swing — in golf
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. deal — to handle
  9. swing — music
  10. degree — from a university
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. degree — an amount
  13. capital — money
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wax — to grow
  16. capital — a city
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. degree — temperature

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