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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. wax — to grow
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — for a lock
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. degree — an amount
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. key — in music
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. capital — money
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. degree — temperature
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. capital — a city

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