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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stand — to bear
  3. mug — to rob
  4. charge — a price
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. capital — money
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. capital — a city
  9. mug — a face
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mug — a cup
  12. ground — the earth
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. charge — in control
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ground — a position
  21. wax — to grow
  22. charge — electricity
  23. ground — crushed
  24. stand — for spectators

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