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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rest — a break
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wax — to grow
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. capital — money
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. ball — a dance
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fall — the season
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rest — what's left
  23. capital — a city
  24. wave — of the sea

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