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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bound — tied together
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. deal — to handle
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bound — certain
  15. mark — a grade
  16. tear — from crying
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. game — a match
  20. capital — a city
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bound — obliged
  24. game — a kind of play

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