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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
468
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: key · rash · capital · cold · wax · swing · suit · branch

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. key — for a lock
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rash — a series
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. swing — in golf
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. swing — to play on
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. suit — to fit
  12. cold — not warm
  13. swing — music
  14. suit — in cards
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rash — hasty
  17. key — the most important part
  18. capital — money
  19. key — in music
  20. branch — a division
  21. cold — an illness
  22. capital — a city
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. suit — clothes

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