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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · can · capital · dip · tube · fan · coach · prune

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. can — to be able to
  4. dip — to sink
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. can — a tin
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. tube — a container
  10. wax — to grow
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. tube — the underground
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. prune — to trim
  15. can — a tin
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. prune — to trim
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. capital — money

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