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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. capital — a city
  4. staff — a stick
  5. ground — crushed
  6. staff — employees
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. ground — the earth
  9. staff — employees
  10. scale — in music
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. suit — clothes
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. capital — money
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bass — low music
  18. wax — to grow
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. ground — a position
  21. bass — the fish
  22. suit — to fit
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. scale — size or range

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