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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. suit — to fit
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. tear — from crying
  5. suit — in cards
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wind — moving air
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. squash — the sport
  19. suit — clothes
  20. capital — a city
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. capital — money

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