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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 120 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: capital · pitch · rock · wake · wax · mark · stock · sharp

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pitch — completely
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rock — music
  10. wax — to grow
  11. sharp — clever
  12. stock — goods
  13. capital — a city
  14. rock — a stone
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. stock — shares
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. capital — money
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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