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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: capital · rock · track · charge · straw · wax · sharp · spell

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. charge — electricity
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. spell — magic
  9. rock — a stone
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. spell — letters
  14. rock — music
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. charge — a price
  17. sharp — clever
  18. charge — in control
  19. wax — to grow
  20. capital — money
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. track — a path
  24. sharp — exactly

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