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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: wax · capital · spring · court · stand · roll · mark · coach

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. spring — the season
  5. capital — a city
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. spring — a coil
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — to bear
  12. spring — of water
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a grade
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wax — to grow
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — for sport
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. capital — money
  24. roll — a cake

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