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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · key · capital · wax · mate · patient · tube · pitch

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. capital — money
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. key — for a lock
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bass — the fish
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bass — low music
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitch — completely
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — the underground
  18. capital — a city
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — in music
  23. capital — a big letter
  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