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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. press — to push
  4. current — happening now
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. chip — for betting
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pound — a weight
  13. current — electric
  14. mug — to rob
  15. chip — to eat
  16. current — of water
  17. mug — a face
  18. capital — money
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. press — a publisher
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. press — newspapers

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