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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: wax · bulb · firm · hand · capital · last · fan · mate

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bulb — for light
  3. capital — a city
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. capital — money
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. hand — help
  12. firm — a company
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. firm — steady
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. mate — a partner
  20. last — finally
  21. wax — to grow
  22. last — final
  23. firm — decided
  24. last — to go on

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