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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: capital · bulb · wax · squash · board · pitcher · bay · rash

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. rash — a series
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. rash — hasty
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. board — to get on
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wax — to grow
  18. capital — money
  19. board — a committee
  20. capital — a city
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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