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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 116 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: plane · capital · coach · mug · content · wax · current · fine

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. current — of water
  4. mug — to rob
  5. capital — a city
  6. current — electric
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. mug — a cup
  9. fine — high quality
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. current — happening now
  12. mug — a face
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. content — happy
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wax — to grow
  18. capital — money
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. plane — a tool
  24. content — the amount

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