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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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. straw — a straw man
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. band — a music group
  9. wax — to grow
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to click
  16. band — a ring
  17. capital — a city
  18. fall — the season
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bore — to tire
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wax — in the ear

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