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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. capital — money
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. band — a music group
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wax — to grow
  11. suit — clothes
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. band — a ring
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wake — a trail
  19. suit — in cards
  20. vault — a safe
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. suit — to fit

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