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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. fork — in a road
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. capital — a city
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. ball — a dance
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. stand — to bear
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. capital — money
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stand — on your feet

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