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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: leaves · object · bear · foot · pop · wax · capital · bat

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pop — music
  11. object — an aim
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pop — soda
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bat — the animal
  20. object — a thing
  21. pop — to visit
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. object — to protest
  24. wax — to grow

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