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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
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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: wake · band · craft · fall · wax · rock · capital · ground

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. band — a ring
  3. wake — a trail
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. fall — to drop
  6. capital — a city
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. ground — a position
  9. rock — music
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. capital — money
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. fall — to drop
  16. craft — boats
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fall — the season
  19. band — a music group
  20. ground — the earth
  21. craft — a skill
  22. rock — a stone
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wax — to grow

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