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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: mark · capital · mug · fine · file · wax · kid · toast

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. toast — bread
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mug — to rob
  5. file — a document
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. fine — high quality
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. fine — all right
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. file — a tool
  12. mug — a face
  13. kid — child
  14. capital — a city
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. kid — to tease
  17. mark — a grade
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mug — a cup
  21. capital — money
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. mark — a trace
  24. file — a line of people

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