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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: object · fan · rash · key · present · wax · capital · content

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. key — for a lock
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wax — to grow
  5. capital — money
  6. content — happy
  7. object — to protest
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — there
  11. capital — a city
  12. object — an aim
  13. content — the amount
  14. key — the most important part
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rash — hasty
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. present — the time now
  22. key — in music
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. object — a thing

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