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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.

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: capital · wax · mark · spell · fork · bat · staff · mate

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. staff — employees
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. fork — in a road
  6. capital — money
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. mate — a partner
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mark — a trace
  18. spell — letters
  19. capital — a city
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. mate — a friend
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. spell — magic
  24. bat — the animal

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