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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. capital — a city
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stand — to bear
  9. club — a group
  10. wax — to grow
  11. can — to be able to
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. track — to keep track
  16. club — for golf
  17. can — a tin
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. capital — money
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. can — a tin
  24. club — for dancing

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