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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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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: object · chip · capital · vault · roll · wax · wake · degree

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. object — a thing
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. degree — from a university
  5. chip — to eat
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wax — to grow
  9. degree — temperature
  10. capital — a city
  11. roll — a list
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. object — to protest
  18. vault — a safe
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. capital — money
  21. chip — for betting
  22. roll — a cake
  23. object — an aim
  24. degree — an amount

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