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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. capital — money
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. capital — a city
  15. board — to get on
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — clever
  18. mouse — the animal

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