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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.

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: capital · bowl · rest · scale · lie · key · spring · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rest — a break
  4. capital — money
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rest — what's left
  10. spring — of water
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. key — in music
  13. lie — to recline
  14. scale — in music
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. spring — the season
  19. capital — a city
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. spring — a coil
  22. scale — size or range
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. capital — a big letter

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