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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: bass · bulb · root · wax · nail · capital · stock · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. stock — shares
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. root — of a word
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wax — to grow
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bass — low music
  22. stock — goods
  23. capital — a city
  24. tube — a container

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