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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mug — to rob
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. charge — electricity
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. charge — in control
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. capital — money
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. charge — a price
  17. capital — a city
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — a face
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wax — to grow
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wound — an injury

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