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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: wax · rock · bulb · fork · bat · mug · coach · capital

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. rock — music
  4. mug — to rob
  5. capital — a city
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bulb — for light
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mug — a face
  12. bat — the animal
  13. rock — a stone
  14. capital — money
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. coach — a trainer

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