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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: current · foot · rock · cap · wax · deal · capital · snap

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. snap — to click
  3. current — electric
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. current — of water
  8. rock — music
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. deal — to handle
  11. capital — money
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. current — happening now
  17. rock — a stone
  18. cap — of ice
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. cap — a lid
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wax — to grow

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