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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: wax · wake · rash · suit · club · branch · nail · capital

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. club — for golf
  4. suit — clothes
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. suit — in cards
  8. wake — a trail
  9. capital — money
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. rash — hasty
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. suit — to fit
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. rash — a series
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wax — to grow
  23. branch — a division
  24. nail — for a hammer

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