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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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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: wax · firm · cap · mark · court · capital · spring · face

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — a grade
  4. court — of law
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. spring — of water
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — steady
  9. face — to point toward
  10. firm — a company
  11. spring — the season
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. capital — a city
  15. court — for sport
  16. capital — money
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. court — of a king
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. cap — of ice
  24. mark — to pay attention

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