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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cap — a lid
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bore — to drill
  6. wax — to grow
  7. capital — a city
  8. present — there
  9. key — in music
  10. bore — to tire
  11. cap — of ice
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. swing — music
  14. fork — in a road
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. key — for a lock
  17. swing — in golf
  18. key — the most important part
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — the time now
  21. capital — money
  22. cap — a hat
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bore — gave birth

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