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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. last — final
  3. roll — a list
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. fall — to drop
  12. toast — bread
  13. capital — a city
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. capital — money
  18. last — to go on
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. roll — a cake
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. wax — to grow
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. last — finally

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