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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. wax — to grow
  4. saw — the tool
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. staff — employees
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. season — of the year
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. capital — a city
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. face — part of the head
  23. can — to be able to
  24. prune — to trim

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