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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: cabinet · roll · net · wax · club · dip · capital · suit

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. roll — a cake
  3. wax — to grow
  4. club — a group
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. suit — in cards
  8. capital — a city
  9. net — in sport
  10. roll — a list
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — for golf
  13. suit — clothes
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. net — after costs
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. capital — money
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. suit — to fit
  23. dip — to sink
  24. net — for catching

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