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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: bark · stem · wake · wax · pitch · capital · rock · key

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. capital — a city
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — music
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. rock — a stone
  16. wake — a trail
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bark — to shout
  20. capital — money
  21. wax — to grow
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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