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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: firm · wax · cold · capital · swing · stock · rest · suit

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. stock — shares
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wax — to grow
  5. firm — decided
  6. swing — to play on
  7. capital — money
  8. suit — to fit
  9. rest — what's left
  10. capital — a city
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cold — an illness
  13. firm — a company
  14. stock — goods
  15. rest — a break
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. swing — music
  20. suit — in cards
  21. firm — steady
  22. suit — clothes
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. swing — in golf

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