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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bore — to tire
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. rash — hasty
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. capital — a city
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. rash — a series
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bore — to drill
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. capital — money
  24. safe — a strongbox

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