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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: wax · perch · pitch · bound · track · capital · scale · snap

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pitch — completely
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. capital — a city
  9. scale — in music
  10. snap — to click
  11. track — a path
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bound — certain
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. capital — money
  24. scale — size or range

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