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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: wax · season · toast · capital · board · roll · pound · club

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. roll — a cake
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. wax — to grow
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a committee
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. club — for golf
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. season — of the year
  15. club — a group
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. capital — a city
  19. toast — bread
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a list
  22. capital — money
  23. season — in sport
  24. pound — a weight

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