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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. present — the time now
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. present — there
  6. clip — to cut
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. capital — a city
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fall — the season
  18. clip — for paper
  19. fall — to drop
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. present — a gift
  24. clip — a video

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