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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. cap — of ice
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lean — to bend
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rock — music
  8. wax — to grow
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. capital — money
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. cap — a lid
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. capital — a city
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cap — a hat
  24. lean — thin

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