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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. capital — a city
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. capital — money
  8. bore — to drill
  9. clip — a video
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bore — to tire
  17. row — a line
  18. clip — for paper
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. lie — to recline
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. mark — a trace
  23. clip — to cut
  24. capital — a big letter

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