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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. capital — a city
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fall — to drop
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. capital — money
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. fall — to drop
  16. deal — to handle
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fall — the season
  22. bore — to tire
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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