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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. capital — a city
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bear — the animal
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chair — a leader
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. patient — a sick person

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