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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. ground — the earth
  3. wax — to grow
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. capital — a city
  10. tube — the underground
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. land — to come down
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. capital — money
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stem — to come from
  20. land — a country
  21. ground — crushed
  22. tube — a container
  23. land — ground
  24. ground — a position

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