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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: season · wake · capital · foot · bank · wax · stand · mine

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bank — for money
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wax — to grow
  5. foot — a measure
  6. season — of the year
  7. mine — for digging
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wake — a trail
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. capital — a city
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bank — for money
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bank — of a river
  24. season — in sport

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