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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. mug — a face
  10. band — a ring
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. squash — to crush
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. band — a music group
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. roll — a list
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. roll — a cake
  24. mug — a cup

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