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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: pit · spell · branch · tube · foot · wax · bear · capital

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bear — the animal
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. foot — a measure
  5. spell — letters
  6. branch — a division
  7. capital — money
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pit — in a race
  10. capital — a city
  11. bear — the animal
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. tube — a container
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pit — a hole
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. spell — magic
  24. bear — to put up with

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