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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. field — for sport
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ball — a dance
  11. field — farmland
  12. bank — for money
  13. wax — to grow
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. ball — a great time
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. capital — a city
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. field — a subject
  24. nail — for a hammer

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