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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. present — there
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. capital — money
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — an aim
  7. wax — to grow
  8. kick — in football
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. present — a gift
  11. spring — the season
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. present — the time now
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. spring — of water
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. object — to protest
  21. drill — army training
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. capital — a city
  24. spring — a coil

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