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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: scale · leaves · tube · wax · lash · season · calf · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. capital — money
  9. wax — to grow
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. season — of the year
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. scale — size or range
  15. season — in sport
  16. tube — the underground
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. tube — a container
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. scale — in music
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. capital — a big letter

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