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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 120 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
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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: dip · kid · bank · wax · court · capital · sharp · object

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bank — for money
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. court — of law
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. court — for sport
  8. capital — a city
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bank — for money
  12. dip — to sink
  13. sharp — clever
  14. court — of a king
  15. kid — to tease
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. object — an aim
  18. bank — of a river
  19. capital — money
  20. wax — to grow
  21. object — to protest
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. object — a thing

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