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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.

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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: craft · capital · wax · rush · mark · chip · root · scale

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. root — the cause
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mark — a trace
  7. capital — a city
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. craft — boats
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. craft — a skill
  13. root — of a plant
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mark — a grade
  16. capital — money
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. scale — in music
  19. root — of a word
  20. chip — for betting
  21. scale — size or range
  22. chip — to eat
  23. wax — to grow
  24. scale — for weighing

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