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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: stem · capital · pit · wax · bound · tube · bowl · chest

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. tube — a container
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bound — obliged
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. bound — certain
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. chest — a box
  20. pit — a hole
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. pit — in a race
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bound — tied together

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