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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. object — to protest
  3. pound — a weight
  4. perch — the fish
  5. ball — a dance
  6. wax — to grow
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. ball — a great time
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. capital — a city
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. object — an aim
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. object — a thing
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. root — of a word

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