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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wax — to grow
  5. perch — the fish
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. capital — money
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bulb — for light
  18. game — a match
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. land — a country
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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