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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
468
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: bore · wax · jam · wave · perch · temple · fan · capital

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. capital — a city
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bore — to tire
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. capital — money

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