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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 116 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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. object — an aim
  4. squash — the sport
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. root — of a plant
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. object — a thing
  13. fork — in a road
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. root — the cause
  17. mine — for digging
  18. object — to protest
  19. capital — a city
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. root — of a word
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. capital — money

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