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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. track — a song
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. net — after costs
  8. capital — a city
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. stand — to bear
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. track — to keep track
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. track — a path
  24. kick — a thrill

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