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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — in cards
  4. spring — of water
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. spring — the season
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. spell — letters
  13. spring — a coil
  14. capital — a city
  15. spell — a short time
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. capital — money
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. spell — magic
  22. wax — to grow
  23. cap — a lid
  24. perch — the fish

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