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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.

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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: club · capital · fall · ball · wax · can · court · row

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. row — a line
  3. fall — to drop
  4. capital — money
  5. club — for dancing
  6. court — of a king
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ball — a great time
  12. can — a tin
  13. fall — to drop
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. ball — a dance
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. fall — the season
  19. club — a group
  20. court — of law
  21. capital — a city
  22. club — for golf
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. court — for sport

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