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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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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. spell — magic
  3. rest — a break
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rest — what's left
  7. capital — money
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rest — what's left
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. capital — a city
  13. wax — to grow
  14. spell — letters
  15. root — of a word
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a plant

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