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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. lie — to recline
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. prune — to trim
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. capital — a city
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. drill — a practice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wax — to grow
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. perch — the fish
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. capital — money
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. drill — the tool

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