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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. present — a gift
  7. tear — from crying
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spell — magic
  10. tear — from crying
  11. present — there
  12. capital — money
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. capital — a city
  15. wax — to grow
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. tear — to rip
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. dip — to sink
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. present — the time now

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