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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. fall — the season
  3. land — to come down
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. firm — decided
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — thin
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. fall — to drop
  13. capital — money
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ground — the earth
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. ground — a position
  18. land — ground
  19. firm — a company
  20. land — a country
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — in football
  23. firm — steady
  24. ground — crushed

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