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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. prune — to trim
  5. capital — money
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. suit — in cards
  11. can — a tin
  12. capital — a city
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. suit — clothes
  17. wax — to grow
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. can — a tin
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. suit — to fit

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