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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: rule · wax · current · scale · bound · capital · fan · dip

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. current — of water
  4. wax — to grow
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. bound — obliged
  8. current — electric
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. capital — money
  14. rule — a law
  15. dip — to sink
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bound — certain
  18. current — happening now
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rule — government

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