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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
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: season · hand · wax · capital · club · mug · mouse · bay

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. season — in sport
  7. capital — money
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. club — a group
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. wax — to grow
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. capital — a city
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mug — a cup
  22. club — for golf
  23. mug — a face
  24. season — of the year

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