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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: capital · foot · bowl · field · wax · content · lean · mug

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. wax — to grow
  5. lean — thin
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. content — happy
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. mug — a cup
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. capital — a city
  19. field — farmland
  20. capital — money
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — to rob
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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