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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wound — an injury
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wax — to grow
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — money
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. row — a line
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wound — an injury
  24. capital — a big letter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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