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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. firm — decided
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. stem — to come from
  5. firm — steady
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. drill — army training
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. firm — a company
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. kid — to tease
  13. drill — a practice
  14. fine — all right
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to bend
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. drill — the tool
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. capital — money
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. wax — to grow
  23. kid — child
  24. capital — a city

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