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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: trunk · wax · fan · cap · jam · capital · pit · ground

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wax — to grow
  6. ground — a position
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. capital — a city
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. ground — the earth
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pit — a hole
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cap — of ice
  18. capital — money
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pit — in a race
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. trunk — of a tree

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