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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rash — a series
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. spring — of water
  11. mug — to rob
  12. capital — money
  13. rash — hasty
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bay — a horse colour

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