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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. tear — from crying
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. capital — a city
  5. wax — to grow
  6. present — there
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. capital — money
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. tear — from crying
  11. scale — in music
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. tear — to rip
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. present — the time now
  19. branch — a division
  20. toast — bread
  21. scale — size or range
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. present — a gift

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