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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 116 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wake — a trail
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. capital — money
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. craft — a skill
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — a law
  19. craft — boats
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. capital — a city
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. craft — a handicraft

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