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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. stock — goods
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wax — to grow
  12. stock — shares
  13. prune — to trim
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. capital — a city
  19. prune — to trim
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. fall — the season
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fall — to drop

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