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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.

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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: content · nail · fan · coach · wax · march · capital · dip

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wax — to grow
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. capital — money
  9. march — the month
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. march — the month
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. content — the amount
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. capital — a city
  17. content — happy
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. dip — to sink
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. dip — to dunk

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