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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: pit · wax · court · rash · roll · capital · fall · bulb

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pit — a hole
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bulb — for light
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. court — of a king
  7. rash — hasty
  8. roll — a cake
  9. wax — to grow
  10. fall — to drop
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rash — a series
  17. bulb — for light
  18. capital — money
  19. fall — the season
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. roll — a list
  22. capital — a city
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pit — in a race

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