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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. net — in sport
  6. kick — in football
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bore — to tire
  9. root — the cause
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. net — after costs
  13. root — of a word
  14. club — for golf
  15. wax — to grow
  16. club — for dancing
  17. net — for catching
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bore — to drill
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. club — a group
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bore — gave birth

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