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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wax — to grow
  5. spring — of water
  6. mark — a trace
  7. staff — employees
  8. capital — money
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bulb — for light
  12. spring — a coil
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fine — high quality
  15. mark — a grade
  16. capital — a city
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. spring — the season
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. fine — all right
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. fine — a penalty

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