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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. lie — to recline
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. fall — the season
  7. key — the most important part
  8. capital — money
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. capital — a city
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. key — for a lock
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. fall — to drop
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. key — in music
  24. stem — a stem cell

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