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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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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: trunk · wax · rash · mine · mark · capital · can · chip

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. chip — for betting
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. chip — to eat
  9. capital — money
  10. rash — hasty
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. capital — a city
  13. mark — a grade
  14. rash — a series
  15. can — a tin
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. can — a tin
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. mark — a trace
  20. can — to be able to
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mine — an explosive

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