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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: pitcher · capital · coach · wax · bank · degree · row · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bank — for money
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. capital — a city
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bank — for money
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wax — to grow
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. capital — money
  16. degree — from a university
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bank — of a river
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. row — a line

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