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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. present — the time now
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. present — there
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. season — of the year
  9. cap — a lid
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. present — a gift
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — to drill
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — thin
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. lean — to bend
  24. season — in sport

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