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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: season · bank · racket · capital · cold · game · wake · wax

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cold — an illness
  3. capital — a city
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bank — of a river
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. game — wild animals
  8. capital — money
  9. game — a match
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bank — for money
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bank — for money
  18. season — of the year
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. season — in sport
  22. wake — a trail
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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