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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. scale — size or range
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. kid — child
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. kid — to tease
  13. staff — employees
  14. wax — to grow
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. staff — employees
  19. capital — money
  20. bore — to tire
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wax — for sculpting

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