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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. spring — of water
  3. capital — money
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. tube — the underground
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. spring — the season
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. suit — clothes
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. present — a gift
  14. wax — to grow
  15. present — the time now
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pound — a weight
  19. spring — a coil
  20. tube — a container
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — in cards
  24. racket — for tennis

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