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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.

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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: club · calf · wax · mug · capital · arm · pitcher · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mug — to rob
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. capital — money
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. row — to paddle
  15. club — for golf
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mug — a cup
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. row — a line
  23. capital — a city
  24. mug — a face

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