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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: capital · wake · wax · bass · field · pitcher · bay · key

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. field — farmland
  3. bass — low music
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. key — for a lock
  9. field — a subject
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. key — in music
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bass — the fish
  17. capital — a city
  18. key — the most important part
  19. wake — a trail
  20. field — for sport
  21. capital — money
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. wake — before a funeral

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