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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 120 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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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: scale · deal · fork · pit · wax · kick · capital · foot

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pit — a hole
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. scale — size or range
  6. foot — a measure
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. deal — to handle
  9. scale — in music
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. capital — a city
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. fork — in a road
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — in a race
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. kick — in football

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