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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: object · fork · club · current · wax · coach · bat · capital

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. capital — a city
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. club — for golf
  5. bat — the animal
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. object — to protest
  13. capital — money
  14. club — a group
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fork — in a road
  17. wax — to grow
  18. current — happening now
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. current — electric
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. current — of water
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. object — an aim

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