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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. capital — money
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. chip — to eat
  6. staff — employees
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. chip — for betting
  9. land — to come down
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. land — a country
  12. staff — a stick
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. staff — employees
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wax — to grow
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. land — ground
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. capital — a city

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