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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 · wax · fan · pitcher · bulb · cabinet · face · fine

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. face — to point toward
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. fine — all right
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. face — to confront
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — a city
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fine — a penalty

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