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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: coach · capital · plane · wax · fan · firm · race · cell

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. race — a contest
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. race — humankind
  13. cell — in biology
  14. firm — steady
  15. cell — a phone
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. firm — decided
  20. race — the arms race
  21. firm — a company
  22. capital — money
  23. plane — in geometry
  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