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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · can · capital · cue · court · rock · leaves · toast

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. rock — music
  3. can — a tin
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. cue — for pool
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. capital — money
  8. can — to be able to
  9. court — of law
  10. wax — to grow
  11. can — a tin
  12. toast — bread
  13. court — of a king
  14. capital — a city
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. cue — a hint
  20. court — for sport
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. cue — a signal
  24. rock — a stone

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