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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.

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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: chest · nail · capital · mark · court · wax · tube · snap

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mark — a trace
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. wax — to grow
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chest — a box
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mark — a grade
  9. tube — the underground
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. tube — a container
  14. court — of law
  15. snap — to click
  16. court — of a king
  17. chest — of your body
  18. capital — a city
  19. court — for sport
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. chest — of your body

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