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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: wave · patient · can · current · root · capital · wax · rush

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. can — to be able to
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. current — electric
  5. can — a tin
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. can — a tin
  9. current — of water
  10. capital — money
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — of a word
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. root — the cause
  21. rush — hurry
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. current — happening now

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