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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: club · march · wax · board · object · net · capital · deal

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. capital — money
  5. march — the month
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. club — a group
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. club — for golf
  11. object — an aim
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. march — the month
  14. object — a thing
  15. wax — to grow
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. deal — to handle
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — to get on
  22. net — in sport
  23. capital — a city
  24. object — to protest

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