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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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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: bowl · wax · kid · pass · calf · capital · fork · branch

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pass — a permit
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. capital — a city
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bowl — a dish

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