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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: tear · deal · season · bass · capital · firm · stand · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. deal — to handle
  3. season — in sport
  4. firm — decided
  5. bass — low music
  6. stand — to bear
  7. capital — money
  8. wax — to grow
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. season — of the year
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. firm — a company
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bass — the fish
  18. tear — from crying
  19. firm — steady
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. deal — an agreement

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