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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 116 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
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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: wax · rest · mate · lash · season · capital · nail · chair

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. season — in sport
  3. chair — a leader
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. mate — to breed
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a city
  9. rest — a break
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. wax — to grow
  12. mate — a partner
  13. season — of the year
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mate — a friend
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rest — what's left

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