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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. capital — money
  3. mug — a cup
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bound — certain
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. club — a group
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. capital — a city
  15. fork — in a road
  16. kid — to tease
  17. club — for dancing
  18. mug — a face
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. kid — child
  23. club — for golf
  24. mug — to rob

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