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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 116 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: mark · wax · bowl · capital · band · pitcher · tube · kid

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. band — a ring
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. band — a music group
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. tube — a container
  7. mark — a trace
  8. capital — money
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. capital — a city
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. tube — the underground

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