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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 120 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: cabinet · capital · wave · snap · dip · racket · wax · bowl

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. capital — a city
  6. wax — to grow
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. snap — to click
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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