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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: bass · stick · court · wave · capital · wax · rest · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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. mug — to rob
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. capital — a city
  4. mug — a face
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wax — to grow
  8. court — of law
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bass — low music
  14. court — of a king
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bass — the fish
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. rest — a break
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. court — for sport
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wax — in the ear
  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