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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. club — a group
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — boats
  7. club — for golf
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mine — for digging
  10. capital — money
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wax — to grow
  15. suit — clothes
  16. capital — a city
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. suit — in cards
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. suit — to fit
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. prune — to trim
  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