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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
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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 · foot · coach · wax · net · cap · capital · file

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. foot — a measure
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. club — a group
  6. net — for catching
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. cap — a lid
  9. file — a document
  10. wax — to grow
  11. net — after costs
  12. file — a line of people
  13. club — for golf
  14. cap — of ice
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. net — in sport
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a city
  20. cap — a hat
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. file — a tool
  24. capital — a big letter

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