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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 · season · rock · leaves · branch · ball · current · wax

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. season — of the year
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. capital — a city
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. wax — to grow
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. current — of water
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rock — music
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rock — a stone
  18. capital — money
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. ball — a great time
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. branch — a division

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