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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: mouse · lash · net · wax · capital · cell · chip · perch

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. chip — to eat
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. net — in sport
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. perch — the fish
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. chip — for betting
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cell — a phone
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. lash — to lash out

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