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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: pound · wax · capital · pop · fan · pit · cap · press

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pop — music
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. capital — money
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. pop — soda
  13. press — a publisher
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pit — a hole
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. capital — a city
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. press — newspapers
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. press — to push

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