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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 124 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. root — of a plant
  5. race — the arms race
  6. capital — money
  7. root — of a word
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rash — hasty
  11. race — a contest
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. root — the cause
  15. rush — hurry
  16. race — humankind
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wax — to grow
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. rush — a thrill

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