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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. toast — bread
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. capital — a city
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wax — to grow
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bulb — for light
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. capital — money
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. temple — side of the head

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