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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: wound · club · capital · staff · pop · wax · fine · board

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pop — music
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. board — to get on
  6. pop — to visit
  7. staff — employees
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pop — soda
  10. club — a group
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. club — for golf
  14. capital — a city
  15. wax — to grow
  16. staff — employees
  17. club — for dancing
  18. fine — high quality
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wound — an injury
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fine — all right
  24. board — a committee

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