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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: date · capital · coach · bulb · prune · bank · wax · clip

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. clip — for paper
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. prune — to trim
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. date — the fruit
  11. wax — to grow
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. capital — money
  14. clip — to cut
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. clip — a video
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bulb — for light
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. capital — a city

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