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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.

Make a worksheet

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: fork · capital · racket · wax · bay · sharp · spell · fan

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. spell — letters
  3. wax — to grow
  4. spell — a short time
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spell — magic
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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