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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: wax · pitch · pass · rule · sharp · capital · racket · branch

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. capital — money
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — a law
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wax — to grow
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. branch — a division
  19. capital — a city
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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