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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: roll · capital · wax · season · tube · prune · kid · shower

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. season — of the year
  5. kid — to tease
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — rain
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a list
  12. tube — a container
  13. season — in sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. wax — to grow
  18. prune — to trim
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. kid — child
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. tube — the underground
  23. shower — to wash
  24. roll — a cake

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