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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: capital · saw · wax · march · racket · face · ruler · tube

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. wax — to grow
  3. face — to point toward
  4. march — the month
  5. capital — money
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. face — to confront
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. face — part of the head
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. tube — a container
  15. march — music
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. march — the month
  22. saw — the tool
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. saw — the tool

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